Legacy of Lyoko: II: In Our Darkest Hour
by s.joann.c
Summary: The awaited second part of this thrilling trilogy is here! Complete.If you haven't read the First Book, LEGACY OF LYOKO, then come back when you have.
1. Prologue

**Legacy of Lyoko: II: In Our Darkest Hour**

_Prologue_

In our darkest hour

We shall not lose hope

For if we do, then we lose

Any chance of victory

* * *

Though clouds may cover

The yellow moon

Though we may die

From battles true

* * *

We cannot lose hope

We must stand down

We cannot lose the fight

In our darkest hour


	2. Twilight

A/N: There may be some scary descriptions in here, so if you are sensitive, please refrain from reading this. Thank you.

Dedicated to my sister, Molly.

**In Our Darkest Hour… Part 1: Twilight**

**Chapter One: November**

"Aelita here. Well, it's been over one month since Mariah died. It was so horrible how Jeremie described it.

"He said that she was screaming shrilly in pain. It was the most beautiful sound he ever heard, like a demon rising from the body of an innocent child. When she was on the ground, he said that he broke a beaker and used the sharp end to slit her throat. Slowly, might I add, to make her experience all the pain she deserved. How did he know that she was from XANA?

"Anyway, we have not found Ulrich. Jeremie claims that he is lost in oblivion forever, but Yumi won't give up. She spends countless nights at the factory searching the computer for any sign.

"But there is no sign. There hasn't been a sign for months. When people ask about Ulrich, we say he is visiting his ill grandparents in Southern France. They thankfully believe us, even if we don't believe ourselves.

"Nobody talks about that night of the dance. I think it's for the better. I have more important things to concentrate on."

* * *

Just as she finished the last statement, her cell phone rang obnoxiously on the other side of her journal. 

**Chapter Two: Caller**

"Who is this?" Aelita was incredulous. She figured it was a prank call, but part of her wanted to believe that it was real.

"Please, I must contact you! It's the only way I can tell you…" The voice trailed off into silence.

Aelita grew angry. "Tell me what? You haven't made sense this entire conversation!" She was trying to stay calm, but it proved to be a difficult task.

The voice whispered, "Come to LYOKO, and I will tell you everything. Don't tell the others- whatever you do, don't tell the others." A click, and then silence again.

She closed the phone and sat back down at her desk and stared at her journal. Was this a trap or was this a cry for help?

**Chapter Three: Thoughtful**

Meanwhile, Yumi was attempting to complete her physics homework. This was a discouraging chore, mostly because she couldn't focus. Although it was too cold to go outside, the day still had an hour worth of sunshine left.

She flipped the page of her physics book distractedly and longingly looked out the window. Things were different a month ago. There were still leaves on the trees; there was no threat of blistering cold snowfall.

There were still five friends who fought off XANA.

Oh, how she missed Ulrich!

**Chapter Four: Be Brave**

"Mmm, dinner looks lovely today, doesn't it, Jeremie?" asked Odd as they sat down at the cafeteria table that they had unofficially claimed as their own.

Jeremie pulled his tray closer to himself and muttered, "Oh no you don't! You're not getting any of mine!"

Odd frowned playfully and proceeded to spoon up a heap of wilted, pale-orange chopped carrots. He cocked his head and examined them, "Do you really want to eat these things? These are probably older than Jim himself!"

He was surprised to hear Yumi's laughter on the other side of him. "Do we really have a choice but to eat it?"

Jeremie eyed her. "Well, _we_ have no choice. You can just go home and eat food that was actually harvested sometime this year."

Yumi chuckled and chewed a piece of meatloaf. "It's not bad, but then again, I'm not eating those carrots."

"Be brave, Yumi!" Jeremie toasted his spoonful of carrots at her before slowly putting them in his mouth. Odd and Yumi laughed as Jeremie's face contorted into a mask of pain, suffering, and nausea.

"I could never be as brave as you, Einstein," Odd said in awe. Jeremie finished chewing and smiled humbly at his two companions.

"I'm not brave. That night in the science room… that was…" He didn't finish his thought.

Yumi shook her head. "I could never do something like that." Odd was about to say something, but she hurried and answered the silent question. "Yeah, I shot her," she said quietly, "but I couldn't kill her."

"That makes me feel a lot better," Jeremie grumbled. "Now I'm a killer."

Odd reached across the table and patted his friend on the hand. "You saved us. You're a hero. I'm sure Aelita feels the same way." He glanced around him. "By the way, where is she?"

**Chapter Five: The Meeting**

"Aelita, if you can hear me, say something."

She smiled and closed her eyes, murmuring, "Something."

The voice was deep and smooth and familiar. "Excellent. How is everything on Earth?"

She frowned. "Why did you call me here?" She did not want to answer such silly questions. She wanted to know the truth.

The tower's insides around her changed from a bright blue to an all white curtain. Aelita dared not move; she could not move. She was paralyzed from curiosity, from fear, from the unknown.

"I had to let you know that there will be attacks at any given moment. XANA will not rest until he has either destroyed us, the world, or himself. And I will not rest either, but I need your help."

She sighed. "But I…"

"Please, listen!" The voice grew grander, but it seemed wearied. "XANA will find out that I've contacted you, and he will go on the offensive. He will not activate towers, but he will still harm you. As for me, I cannot go on the offensive; at least, not yet."

She frowned and voiced her concern. "How can you go on the offensive against XANA? We can only use our weapons to defend ourselves! And sometimes that isn't even enough."

There was a long pause. "I see your point. I will have to consider this. You are no longer just my daughter. You are the last hope for saving LYOKO."

She nodded, believing that her father could see her solemn approval. "Before I leave, tell me that Ulrich is safe and without pain."

"Ulrich is safe and without pain," he repeated jovially. "When he is ready, he will return to you."

"Soon?" she interrupted him, but the walls changed from white to their original blue. She got herself out of LYOKO as fast as she could.

**Chapter Six: Believe**

Aelita stepped out of the scanner carefully as soon as Jeremie, Odd, and Yumi rushed into the scanner room from the elevator. "Aelita!" cried Jeremie as he raced towards her.

Aelita held up her hands. "I'm fine. I got a call on my phone and I was told to go to LYOKO…"

Yumi cracked her knuckles and sighed, "And you went because you thought your father wanted to contact you?"

"You don't believe me, do you?" she asked uneasily.

Odd patted her tiny hand. "How do we know it wasn't XANA?"

"It wasn't! He told me…things."

Jeremie rolled his eyes. "Like what? That Ulrich was coming back and that XANA would be defeated? Stop acting like such a child. Only children would believe that stuff."

She burst into tears and ran into the elevator. Pounding the "up" button, she screamed, "I'm not a child! And Ulrich _is_ coming back!"

This last outburst hushed everyone else who remained in the scanner room.

**Chapter Seven: That Night**

Tossing and turning, Jeremie was uncomfortable. His body did not hurt him, he wasn't too warm, and he wasn't freezing. Maybe it was the mattress.

_Yeah, right,_ he thought bitterly. _I know what's making me restless_. He sat up slowly and leaned over to put on his glasses.

The clock that sat on the nightstand at the foot of his bed read midnight, he saw, yet he wasn't feeling tired. A wave of nausea rushed over him. His guilt was starting to boil over into headache mode. Quickly leaning over, he retrieved the cell phone on the floor next to his bed.

_I must call her. I must. It's the only way_. He was about to press the number on which she was on speed-dial, number four, but his finger couldn't do the command.

Angry with himself, he flung the cell phone down and cursed silently as he pulled the covers over his head. This was going to be a long night.

**Chapter Eight: Bolt from the Blue**

She lay awake on her bed with her hands behind her head like a pillow, staring at the white nothingness that she called her ceiling. In the room next door, rock music softly accompanied her thoughts. Outside the window, she could see the sun setting serenely over the Parisian cityscape.

The music faded while the sun blanked out the room for a brief second. The ceiling enveloped her into a wondrous white world. She blinked, and the mirage was over.

She blinked once again, not out of habit but to see what effect it would have. A shadow cut a hole in the ceiling, and the figure was hovering above her. She cocked her head to the left and the glare was gone.

But the shadow was still there; the figure still hovered over and still smiled. His eyes were blank, his clothes were nonexistent, his body relaxed. When she recognized the face, she did not run. Instead, she beamed.

A wave of fatigue ran over her. She tried to fight it, but her eyes closed involuntarily. Deep sleep drifted through her body.

Her eyelids flashed open. The rock music continued to play, the sun was gone, and so was the shadow, but the ceiling was still white.

She sprung up out of her bed and dialed her cell phone next to her.

She had to tell someone! But who would believe her? She put down her cell phone gingerly and laid back down to sleep happily.

Some things are better kept as secrets.

**Chapter Nine: Under the Tree**

"Aelita!" Odd yelled as he ran towards her. There she sat, her knees curled up under her chin, under one of the weeping willows that was on their way to the factory via sewer.

She didn't bother looking up at him. He knelt down beside her and hugged her. She didn't say anything and continued to cry.

"Aelita, I'm so sorry about what happened at the factory- I didn't mean…" Aelita held up her hand and he stopped in mid-thought.

It was her turn to speak. "Don't bother, Odd. I'm sorry for even telling you guys."

Odd was appalled. This wasn't the carefree spirit he knew as Aelita. This was the shell of her, her insides taken out by the crummy actions of her so-called friends. His voice was reduced to near-sobbing, "Aelita…"

She turned her face away from his concerned one. Angrily he stood up and hissed. "You know what? At least I apologized. The least you could do is forgive me."

He stormed away and left Aelita under the tree, broken and forgotten.

**Chapter Ten: Homecoming**

The white quickly surrounded him, but this time, he wasn't afraid. He sort of enjoyed this peaceful state, even if it did lead him to heaven. Maybe he was in heaven for that time, maybe he wasn't- but what he did know was that it felt like a dream. Was it a dream?

The white changed to yellow, and he could distinctly make out walls. This was no longer heaven, he recognized.

He reached out to touch the walls. The yellow door opened in front of him.

He stumbled outward and fell on the ground out of the scanner. "Ouch!" he yelled, surprised that he could still talk.

Wasting no time, he quickly got up and went into the elevator. While waiting for the elevator to come down, he noticed that he was wearing absolutely nothing.

He dashed into the elevator and pressed the up button. The elevator took longer than he remembered to get up to the computer room. "What's taking so long? Why am I wearing no clothes? What day is it?" the long chain of questions humored him.

The elevator's doors broke open and he gingerly climbed out. There the computer stood, like a fortress untouched, empty and dusty. It was the one link between heaven and here, he noted, and the one link between him and his friends, if they still were here.

He slid into the cold leather seat and put on the headset carefully. Pressing a few keys, he managed to get a picture of a mobile on there. He pressed another key randomly, and the phone began to dial.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end was apprehensive and upset-sounding.

"What's wrong, Odd?"

There was stunned silence on the other end. "Who is this?"

"It's me! I've come home!"

**Chapter Eleven: Weird and Wonderful**

Odd bolted to the factory that evening (right after he received the phone call), carrying an outfit from the closet in the room. Ulrich was so happy to see him, but Odd was even more so. Odd did not ask about his friend's whereabouts; Ulrich was already chatting excitedly about it.

"And there were these strange people; at least I thought they were. They looked like us, they talked like us, and they acted like us. I lived with this nice old lady and her two sons and her daughters in a house made of grass…"

"Are you sure all this happened?"

Ulrich nodded feverishly. "I swear! It was too real to be otherwise…"

Odd hummed and quickened his step to match Ulrich's. "I think we have to tell the others."

"No! Please don't. They won't believe me."

His blonde companion halted in his tracks and guffawed. "After they see you, they'll believe anything!"

* * *

Odd and Ulrich came back to the dorms while the moon was in its full glory. The night air nipped at their bare arms as they ran inside the building. The sidewalk was frosting over with light snow, leaving footprints from the factory to the dorms. 

The two friends tracked a bit of the snow into the dorms, but it quickly melted into the carpet. They dashed up the stairs to the second floor.

"Odd?" Ulrich asked as they ascended the stairs. Odd didn't answer right away; he was not in as good of shape as Ulrich was.

Odd eyed him and puffed out a reply. "How… could you… not… be tired… already?"

Ulrich shrugged. "What do we tell Jeremie? Do we tell him that I saw those people, that I lived with them?"

"No way; let me do the talking. Just pretend you're tired or something."

Ulrich laughed aloud as he knocked on Jeremie's door. "I think you'll do a better job of pretending that one."

**Chapter Twelve: Opening Doors**

"Einstein!" Odd didn't bother lowering his voice; it was only two hours before lights out. Everybody, even the early birds, would still be up.

There was no flinging open of the door in annoyance. Ulrich cocked his head and slumped against the door. "You think he's working on the comp?" He leaned closer into the door frame. "I don't hear any typing going on…"

Odd didn't bother waiting for a response from inside the room. "Maybe he's asleep or maybe he's gone." He twisted the knob slowly. "Jeremie…" Odd called in his singsong voice.

"Jeremie?" The room was dark, save for the light of the moon beaming through the tiny window. "Oh, Jeremie…" The door creaked open more and more.

Ulrich saw that the laptop had the characteristic red exclamation point symbol flashing on the laptop. "A XANA attack! Odd, this could be big trouble…" he nudged his friend and pointed to the laptop.

Odd looked around the room. He saw an arm sticking out from the foot of Jeremie's bed. "Ulrich…" Odd's face turned a ghastly shade of white.

"What?" He followed Odd's stare. He too saw the arm. The fingers attached to the outstretched hand were curled at such strange angles, it was hard to picture what had happened, or who that even happened to.

Ulrich ran to the arm, seeing his worst fears come true. The face was smeared with blood, the eyes were rolled to the back of his head, but the body was still breathing. The being resembled more of a zombie than a human, and it was a horrific sight to behold.

"Jeremie!" Ulrich screamed at the top of his lungs, tears forming at the corners of his dark eyes. "Jeremie!"

Odd ran outside of the room to try and get the attention of any adult he could find.

**Chapter Thirteen: Confirmation**

"Please, God, tell me he's okay," Yumi breathed heavily into her phone.

There was silence on the other end. "I hope so too, Yumi. At least he's still alive. I just don't know how much alive he is."

Yumi opened her car door and slid in. "I told my mom that I'm coming to visit him… you're at the hospital now?"

"Yeah," replied Odd. "I'm in the, uh, waiting room. I'm, uh, waiting."

Yumi began to back out of her driveway, her cell phone nestled between her ear and shoulder. "Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes…" She heard a familiar voice in the background. "Who else is there?"

Odd chuckled. "You'll never believe me if I told you." Yumi shrieked and hung up her cell phone and began her race towards the hospital.

**Chapter Fourteen: Creator and Destroyer**

"Oh, Franz!" The red cloud chuckled devilishly. "I may not be winning, but I definitely have the upper hand."

The white cloud rumbled. "You have no idea what that even means. Besides, we're playing a game of chess- not cards."

"If so, then I have definitely captured your bishop." The red cloud applauded himself on such a thoughtful reply.

"You forget that it takes much more than the removal of a bishop to win a game of chess." A pause, and then, "When did you ever play chess?"

The red cloud paced back and forth. "Well, I do know a lot. I know everything you do. You are my creator, my divine maker."

"Yet you still treat me like I am your lowly rival. I know of dogs that are treated better than I am. If I am your creator, you should at least give me my due respect."

"Never! You may be my creator, but you are not my master. I am not just a player in this game of yours; I _am_ the game." The red cloud paused to emphasize this last point.

The white cloud shrunk back, realizing his mistake of fighting such a powerful opponent alone. He tried to feign courage and tell himself, "I can beat my own game. After all I created you, I created you!"

Franz knew he was going to be ridiculed. "Do you know what the key is to winning chess? Other than destroying the king to end the game?" Franz did not reply.

"You have to destroy his queen."

**Chapter Fifteen: Waiting Room**

"Oh my God, Ulrich! It's you!" Yumi squealed as she jumped into his arms. The waiting room was crowded, so nobody paid any attention to this strange behavior of affection.

Ulrich embraced her like a friend would hug another. "Yes it's me," he chuckled. "Who else would it be?" Yumi sat in between Odd and Ulrich on the tiny couch next to the door into the "no visitors" section of the hospital.

Yumi beamed and couldn't keep her eyes off of Ulrich. He seemed changed, as if there was a surge of youth in him. His eyes held a new kind of haunting in them, and when she glanced in them, she could make out the shape of moving quicksand. She wanted to hold him and she wanted to know about the previous month, but she had to restrain herself. After all, this wasn't about her.

"Did you call Aelita?"

Odd looked away shamefully. "No."

"Why not?" Yumi wasn't annoyed; she was just a bit overwhelmed from all that had happened recently.

"We got into a fight," he replied quietly and firmly.

Yumi yanked her cell phone from her backpack-purse. She grumbled as she dialed Aelita's number. After seven rings, Yumi hung up. "I guess she's mad at all of us."

Ulrich was clearly uncomfortable on this topic. "Uh, so what happened while I was gone?"

Yumi was surprised at this question. "Not much. Not a single XANA attack."

"And I passed one of my math tests last month. Which is an improvement," added Odd happily.

Ulrich chuckled. "That's good to hear. And have you and Aelita gone on any dates?"

"No," Odd said distractedly. "I just don't want to rush things. Maybe I can get her to stop being mad at me if I ask her out…"

"And did you find anyone new, Yumi?"

Yumi's heart stopped. Was this the chance she was waiting for? "No, I was waiting for you."

Ulrich looked away from her and blushed. "Uh, thanks." He scratched his neck nervously quickly asked, "What about Mariah?"

Odd's jaw dropped and he looked worried. "She's long gone, Ulrich."

"Gone? What's going on? Yumi?"

Yumi held up her hands innocently. "She was working for XANA. She was going to kill us!"

Ulrich shook his head. "You don't know that- you don't know that!"

Odd tried to calm him down, but to no avail. The doors next to them opened and a young black volunteer girl came out, dusting her hands on her pink striped apron.

"Is Jeremie Belpois' family here?" The waiting room died down momentarily, but when they heard it wasn't for their specific family member, they resumed their normal volume.

Yumi jumped up, eager to not have to deal with an angry Ulrich. "We're here."

"Could you come with me?" She beckoned them with her hand, and, like moths to a flame, they followed her keenly around the corner.

**Chapter Sixteen: Diagnosis**

_Perhaps God is merciful after all. Why would He take everything I ever had? I have no mother, I have no more love, I have no more innocence, I have no more childhood, and I have no future… Surely God wouldn't take away the only thing I can ever depend on in this world: my friends._

The volunteer girl, whose nametag said her name was Olivia, opened the last room at the far end of the hallway. It was pitch black, save for the glow of an old television game show above the head of a shadow of once was the boy they knew as Jeremie.

"The nurses are quite busy down here, so I hope you don't mind that I give you the information," she murmured as her wiry braids danced to the rhythm of her nod. "He's very ill. There's not much they can do for him. In fact, oh I better not say it."

"Please do," cringed the brave Yumi as she lightly touched Olivia's broad shoulder. Olivia shuddered.

"They only put the cases they don't have a lot of hope for back here. If there's enough staff and medication, then he might get help. But don't bother fighting for him. It won't do you much good."

Odd was on the point of tears, but he tried to hide them. "What's wrong with him?"

Olivia tilted her head towards the ceiling and then her pristine white shoes. "I believe it was a suicide."

Odd fainted right there. Olivia was instantly at his side, calm and collected, as she used an ammonia pack (conveniently stuffed in her apron) to wake him up. He gagged to let the gang know he just regained consciousness.

Ulrich and Olivia dragged him to the wall near the door and propped him against it. Yumi meanwhile ran to Jeremie's side and held his IV-ridden hand.

"I believe in you, Jeremie. I believe in you. Be brave. Be brave."

**Chapter Seventeen: Last**

"Oh, my… head…" groaned Aelita. She was waking up painfully; her head felt like it was splitting in half. Her vision was foggy, but when she awoke she was surrounded by the white lights.

"Hello, Aelita," the voice around her soothingly called out. "I'm sorry it feels… painful… but I needed to talk to you as soon as possible."

Aelita was trying to recollect her thoughts. She was… where was she before this? What was she even doing? "But I… I thought…"

The white light turned to crimson; she felt a paralyzing sensation come over her body. This wasn't her father at all. "What do you want with me?" she shrieked.

"Ah, that will come all in due time, my dear," the voice became menacing. The invisible grip around her tightened; it became increasingly difficult to breathe. "All in due time."

"Don't you dare… hurt… Odd…" she whispered as her world turned from crimson to black within a matter of moments.


	3. Nightfall

**In Our Darkest Hour… Part 2: Nightfall**

_dedicated to my sister, Molly_

_and to Jessica _

**Chapter Eighteen: Interrupted**

"What do you mean you can't find her?" shrieked Yumi. "She couldn't have just up and disappeared!"

"It's happened before, it can happen again," recited Odd distractedly.

Ulrich stuffed his hands into the back pockets of his cargo pants and exhaled loudly. The gang had spent an entire first period running around the campus of Kadic High searching for their pink-haired friend.

"Okay, when's the last time you two saw her?"

Yumi racked her brain for any recollection of her friend. "Wasn't it in the factory yesterday?"

Odd searched the sky for his answer. "I only saw her under the tree in the forest. That was when we had the fight. She's probably so mad at me…"

Just then, Sissi Delmas approached them prissily. "Hello, Ulrich dear. I'm glad you're back. I hope your grandparents are doing well?"

Ulrich's jaw dropped in confusion; he raised an eyebrow at Yumi who grinned sheepishly. It was she who answered for him, "They are, they are. That's why he's back, right?"

"But I see you are without your little Einstein friend," Sissi eyed the gang. "And I heard he's in the psycho ward because he tried to commit suicide."

"Hey!" Odd was not pleased with this rumor. "That's not true!" But because he didn't know what else to say, he closed his mouth slowly and backed away.

Sissi was about to walk away from them, but instead decided to observe, "What brings you three out of class at this hour?"

"And what about you?" defended Yumi.

Sissi put on an air of innocence. "Me? I'm delivering things to my daddy. I have a pass," she waved her green slip of paper in Odd's face. Odd groaned and rolled his eyes.

Ulrich, who was as tall as she was, took a few steps to face her and eye her. "For your information, we were getting some dirt on you-know-what."

Sissi's eyes widened. "You wouldn't…"

"And we're gonna tell you know who," he sneered, "Unless you pretend you didn't see us."

Sissi nodded furiously with wide eyes while backing up step by step. When she was a yard or so away from them, she pivoted and dashed in the direction of her father's office.

Ulrich cracked up so hard, tears were streaming from his eyes and he had to hold his sides. "What's so funny?" Yumi demanded.

"Yeah, are you going to tell us what this 'you-know-what' is?"

Ulrich calmed down and in between laughs managed to get out, "There isn't anything! I made it up to scare her! And it _did_!" Odd high-fived Ulrich and guffawed next to his best friend.

Yumi tugged Ulrich's sweatshirt and yelled at both of them, "Come on you two! We have to find Aelita!"

**Chapter Nineteen: The Lab**

They agreed it would be best to search in the factory next. Aelita may have gone into LYOKO by herself to hide from the cruelties of the real world that Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd were so experienced in.

The computer room, or sometimes referred to as "the lab," seemed empty and unfulfilled without Jeremie to occupy its oversized leather seat. The glowing electric sphere behind the computer reflected green light and coated the entire room in a shade of green.

Yumi was the first one out of the elevator and thusly the first one to reach the computer. It was on and running, as if Jeremie had just left it to go back to class. Odd and Ulrich came behind her and stood on either side of the chair where she sat.

"Is there a way to find Aelita on here?" Yumi murmured half to herself and half aloud. She stared at the keyboard.

"Hello!" a voice startled them. Yumi looked up and Odd gasped.

"That's EVE-10!" he whispered excitedly.

"I'm EVE-10, Jeremie's program," said the turquoise-haired youth on the screen. "Is Jeremie there?"

Ulrich answered quickly, "No. He can't come. Can you help us?"

"Wait a minute!" Odd waved his hands wildly in the air. "When could you talk?" he pointed at the computer screen accusatorily.

"I learned," was the nonchalant reply. "Isn't that how you talk?"

Odd was dumbfounded so he didn't answer. Yumi focused on the task at hand.

"Can you see if Aelita is there?"

EVE-10 shook his head. "She is not here. She is on LYOKO, though. But she is not safe. XANA has her."

"Is he taking all of her memory?" cringed Odd.

EVE-10 shook his head. "No, but he may do worse. He is fighting Franz Hopper, and Franz Hopper is weak. XANA will win," he recited. "I am glad you came not a moment too soon."

Ulrich chuckled, "This guy talks like Jeremie. That's just too funny."

EVE-10 raised one eyebrow and cocked his head. "Who is 'this guy' of which you speak of?"

"You!" Odd laughed at the robot's naivety. "We're talking about you! You're the funny robot, EVE-10."

"I'm a robot?"

Yumi looked uncomfortable and squirmed in her seat. "Well, sort of. I don't know. Look, let's just go okay?"

"Wait! Ulrich can't go," EVE-10 insisted.

"Why?" Ulrich couldn't wait to go back on LYOKO to fight.

"XANA doesn't know that you've escaped LYOKO, especially with the help of Franz Hopper. If you are seen on LYOKO by XANA, that could mean big trouble. You're friends can manage on their own."

Ulrich shuffled his feet angrily. "Fine, I'll stay. But hurry up."

**Chapter Twenty: Game Play**

"Alright! We made it to sector-5!" whooped Odd excitedly. "Thanks for not killing us, Ulrich."

Ulrich grumbled and muttered, "Three minutes, guys. Move, move, move!"

Yumi dashed in front of Odd and they both disappeared behind the enormous blue walls that made up the core of sector-5.

* * *

"I wonder where the key is… oh dear…" Odd halted in his tracks and saw that the interior of sector-5 had gone under a decoration change. The blocks were not moving, and they were arranged eight across and eight down. 

The alternating squares were jet black, while the rest remained blue. There were monsters all over this board of sorts, and Yumi noticed something familiar. "It's a chess game!"

EVE-10 came behind them and startled the two warriors. "Hey, Eve," asked Odd, "what's going on?"

Without saying so much as a word, the boy in the golden-brown toga pushed past them gently and approached the board. Of course, Yumi and Odd followed him.

They ascended the staircase to the playing field. The monsters were not fighting each other; it appeared the game had not even begun. On one side, the monsters bore the XANA symbol; on the other, the monsters were completely white and plain.

A white cloud came behind the stark white monsters. EVE prodded Odd in the side and murmured in awe, "That's Franz Hopper!"

Yumi backed up into them as she saw the menacing blood-red cloud advancing towards them, towering over them like an impending doom of red fog. "XA...N...N...A…"she stuttered.

EVE-10 pointed in the center of the board. There lay Aelita enclosed in a glass casket, both her eyes and mouth wide open in sheer terror. Odd could have sworn she was moving, or at least trying to, but it was painful to be in such a position.

The casket moved itself to Franz's side, where there was a space for the obligatory queen. There were also spaces for a king, for a knight, and for a rook. Yumi gulped and pointed at the spaces, "Are those-?"

EVE began to show signs of fear, but he obeyed subconsciously. His feet dragged his body to a black square while his wide turquoise eyes focused ahead of him. He stood in the rook's position.

Suddenly, Yumi and Odd were hurled to their spots, the knight's and the king's respectively. Underneath Yumi rose a white manta from the block board. Odd waved nervously to her from his position next to the glass casket where Aelita lay.

A white pawn, in the shape of a kankrelat, moved forward two spaces against its will. Yumi gasped when she realized that the game had begun-

-and she had to finish it.

**Chapter Twenty-One: A Visit**

_Knock, knock_. Olivia looked up from her engrossing book. She was taking a break from her after-school volunteering duties to catch up on a surprisingly good read.

"Come in," she said uneasily. She wasn't expecting visitors, especially visitors in this room. Perhaps it was the friends of this poor patient. She stood up and put down her book.

An older man and woman had entered the room quietly. The woman nodded, her grim smile thinly stretched over her pale face. The man with white hair approached Olivia and stuck out his hand.

"I am Verryl Belpois, and this is my wife, Noelle." Olivia shook the man's hand and came to the conclusion that these two were the parents (or grandparents at this age) of the patient she decided to care for on her own with the help of a kind nurse named Janine.

"I'm Olivia Mare; I'm a volunteer here." She paused and added bravely. "I take care of," she nodded behind her, "him."

Noelle's eyes grew wide as she looked at her son truly. A bandage was wrapped around his forehead so that bits of blonde hair were sticking out. He was cleaned up with a blanket covering his lower half. His hands were put back into their normal position, with his right hand being the home of an IV-lock. The patient was lying stiffly and horizontally; Olivia wasn't sure if he was asleep or unconscious.

"Verryl," she hissed, "let's go. If it's true what they said…"

Olivia was confused. "Why are you going so soon? Isn't he your son?"

The old man was torn between the love of his life and the voice of reason. "I'm sorry, Olivia. I can't…" he seemed helpless against the menacing stares of his wife.

"You can't?" the volunteer echoed.

The man turned to his wife. "Please, Noelle!" he begged. "Can't we just forgive him? He needs our help!"

Noelle squeezed her husband's hand and went out the door alone, saying, "A son who doesn't appreciate life is no son of mine."

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Battleboard**

"You know, Yumi," Odd peered around a bishop in the shape of a white creeper, "I bet this game will be over soon. I mean, it's just a game, right?"

Ahead of them, another kankrelat moved forward two spaces. A block from XANA's side, used as a pawn, moved towards Yumi another space. A capture was ready to be played out.

But instead of simply going diagonal, the block fired rapidly at the kankrelat. The kankrelat shot lasers back, hitting the block within seconds of the first fire.

The block was obliterated and the kankrelat, which resembled an oversized roach, moved to its position. The white nothingness behind Yumi and Odd rumbled.

EVE-10 murmured for Yumi and Odd to hear, "Franz Hopper is pleased with the game so far."

Odd eyed Yumi with skepticism. "Do you think he can understand that cloud?"

Yumi replied exasperatedly, "I'm being used as a chess piece in a virtual game, I'm riding an albino manta, and I actually have my physics homework done. Anything can happen- whoa!"

Lasers from a hornet, used as a XANA rook, were bombarding Yumi. She quickly flipped out her fans and hurled them at the pesky hornet. The hornet dodged, but not quickly enough; the fan split the hornet in half on the return trip to Yumi's hand.

Odd shouted with happiness and EVE-10 smiled. Yumi and the manta she rode slid two spaces forward and one space to the left, right in front of the bishop creeper.

There was no going back.

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Awakening**

He could have sworn he heard Yumi, Odd, and Ulrich talking to each other. There conversation was intelligible, as well as meaningless. He saw, or at least he thought he did, a clear coffin similar to that of Snow White's. But the maiden who slept there wasn't peacefully resting; she was bound, tortured, screaming for no one to hear.

It was this screaming that woke him up. He was surprised to see that he was in a quiet sunlit room. He coughed unwillingly.

A sweet-looking black girl leaned over the side of the bed. She held his glasses and put them on for him. He smiled and mouthed the words, "Thank you."

His muteness did not stop her from holding a conversation. "I'm so excited you're awake! You've been unconscious for a long time- many, many hours. I have to tell the others!"

"Wait!" he croaked, as he tried to wave his bandaged hands. The girl stopped, confused. "What's going on?" he pleaded.

She held his hand and sat at his feet on the bed. Gently leaning over, she pressed the tiny up arrow to allow him to sit up in his bed. "There you are; now we can have a conversation like normal people."

He laughed, or at least tried to, at the sweet girl. Her outfit was that of a volunteer and he nodded towards her.

"I'm Olivia Mare; I'm a volunteer here at the hospital. I've been taking care of you because…" her voice trailed off and became sad. "I guess nobody believed you would make it." Then she quickly changed her mood. "But I believed! I believed!"

He was confused. Why was he here? Why was he still alive if nobody but some lowly teenage helper thought he would be alive? Did anybody care?

"Your friends found you in your room last night, all bloody and hardly breathing. They said your fingers were in weird angles and you weren't responsive. But they brought you in and the surgeons fixed your hands," she nodded at the bandage.

"And I was here yesterday taking care of you, and I came right after school, too. And your parents came…" She stopped abruptly, her own words twisting her face into one that scared him.

But he wanted to know, even if the truth hurt. He glared at her and set his jaw. "I must know everything," he said hoarsely.

Olivia lowered her voice. "I'll tell you everything. Your name is Jeremie Belpois. You are sixteen years old, and you live in Villenueve; and during the school year, you live in Sceaux. You were brought in yesterday, with people saying you tried to commit suicide. The doctors stuck you back in this room and thought you would die by the end of the day. Your parents traveled all this way to see if you were alive, but your mother disowned you. And your friends haven't come back from school yet.

"But I believed that you would wake up soon, and I stayed by your side," she added humbly. "God is truly merciful, and now," she stared into his eyes, "I believe in miracles."

Jeremie blushed and averted his gaze. "Thank you, Olivia," he choked out.

Olivia nodded, her soft brown skin illuminated in the soft sunlight pouring in. "Don't say another word; I'm going to get the doctors."

**Chapter Twenty-Four: Comet**

The game had been cleared out save for five pieces on each side of the board. The mini-battles between the monsters were mostly quick and painless; but the most interesting ones to watch (at least Odd thought) were those of the same species.

On his side, it was himself, Aelita next to him (still in the coffin), Yumi on the manta in front of Aelita, EVE-10 far up ahead of the three of them, and a white creeper two squares to the right of XANA's only remaining mega-tank.

Other than the mega-tank, XANA had three tarantulas, and a scyphozoan positioned as the king. It was XANA's turn now.

The mega-tank rolled two spaces to the already prepared creeper. The bomb-shaped monster opened up and fired two shots to instantly kill the creeper.

Odd gulped. That creeper was meant to take out the scyphozoan and win the game. Odd didn't want to move from his safe spot behind Yumi.

Endless moments went by. It was EVE-10's turn, Franz Hopper, the god, decided. Odd couldn't see the boy's face, but he could just picture the horror on it. The game was not looking good for Franz Hopper.

EVE-10 had been forced to go five spaces to attack the tarantula in that spot. The tarantula was firing rapidly and carelessly at the creature, but EVE-10 wouldn't stop moving.

He shouted something that Odd couldn't understand, and a silvery orb appeared in EVE-10's right hand. The toga-clad boy flung the orb with such immense force that the orb resembled a comet hurling through the air. Within a second, the tarantula was no more.

"Whoa, that was cool!" shouted Odd from his safe spot behind Yumi's manta. "What do you call that?"

EVE-10 shrugged and said, "I call it talent."

Yumi grinned, "I'll say. That was pretty sweet."

The scyphozoan in its full glory moved forward one space. "Oh no, Yumi," Odd moaned. "Does this mean the game's about to end?"

"Not on my watch!" she kicked the manta to go forward. Using her monster as a surfboard, she rode it for a couple of spaces as she flung the fan at the scyphozoan. She missed, and the fans returned quickly. The scyphozoan was moving at a steady pace.

But this attack attracted the remaining tarantulas. They fired at will: aiming at Yumi, but nearly missing the manta she rode instead.

"Yumi!" screamed EVE-10. "What are you doing?"

A tarantula's laser hit Yumi hard in the shoulder as she collapsed.

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Connection Lost**

A bolt of indescribable pain shot through Jeremie's shoulder. He cringed and caressed the hurt shoulder.

A nurse who was nearby ran to him. "Are you okay?" she enunciated each syllable.

He shook his head as his eyes began to smart. The nurse ran out of the room and shouted, "Can I have some help in here?"

Two other ICU nurses instantly appeared at the bedside. "He's hurt his shoulder, and he can't talk… he was the coma patient," the first nurse informed the newcomers. "But he hasn't done anything to aggravate it, nor can he tell me how bad it is or what the pain is from."

Jeremie, realizing that he had lost the power to communicate temporarily, clutched his shoulder and sat back on the bed while tears streamed down his cheeks.

**Chapter Twenty-Six: If When Warriors**

"Good God, what are you doing?" shrieked Odd. "Get up! Get up!"

Yumi got up slowly, staggering to retain her balance. Behind her, EVE-10 was preparing a fireball to throw at the menacing tarantula.

Odd glanced at Aelita and saw that she was still alive, but she was still screaming silently inside. He could only imagine what was going on inside her casket.

Yumi threw a fan blindly, hearing the yelps of a tarantula far away dying. A silver orb whizzed by her head which startled her to the point of unsteadiness. The scyphozoan was making its way towards Aelita still, without even so much as a falter in its gliding motion.

Yumi turned around abruptly. "Fire at the scyphozoan!" she shouted at EVE-10. The comet, like a glittering bomb, sped past her left and exploded at the scyphozoan. The explosion was huge and earth-shattering, causing the casket that Aelita was in to crack down the center. Yumi's manta bucked her off and she fell backwards forever.

* * *

Jeremie's shoulder hurt no more, but this pain was quickly moved to his entire body. He felt weightless, dizzy, and as if he was falling. He closed his eyes and tried to grab for anything to stop his fall. 

With his hands bandaged, he could not find a single thing to stop his fall. He was falling forever and ever, and there was nothing even the most skilled nurse could do. The only thought that comforted him was that he was on a bed and he couldn't actually fall off.

He could feel the wind around him picking up, as if he were falling faster and faster. Starting to hyperventilate, Jeremie could hear his heart monitor racing furiously. There was a crack, and he tried to scream. The pain, oh the pain! He had stopped falling, but his bones were shattered and lungs collapsed.

_Oh, what a way to die- to fall while laying down, to fall while… he wasn't dead… how could he be dead…_ Sweat beads dropped from his forehead and his tiny chest heaved up and down, just to make sure he was still breathing- he was still in pain- he was still alive…

Faster and faster, his heart monitor beeped until it was a constant stream of high-pitched beeps. His little heart stopped beating.

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: Hope**

The dust cleared after the explosion. There lay Yumi, motionless, face down on the board.

Odd couldn't take much more of watching Yumi fall so many times. He fired laser arrows as he ran head first towards the dying tarantula. The tarantula did not explode, but it was so badly crippled that it did not bother to fire any more shots.

"Odd!" shouted EVE-10. "We must save Yumi!"

"No, we have to get rid of all these monsters," yelled Odd as he fired more laser arrows and dodged the shots that came from the remaining tarantulas. "I don't think XANA would give up this easy!"

EVE-10 hurled a comet unsuccessfully at the mega-tank and ran to Odd. "But what can we do?"

Odd put down his arm and looked at EVE-10. "Buddy, we just got to pray and hope for the best. Now watch your back and keep firing!"

"Look! It's a guardian! Watch out!" yelped EVE-10 as a large transparent orb with a girl inside appeared next to Aelita.

"That's not a guardian!" replied Odd excitedly. "That's Therese!" He was about to run over but remembered Yumi. Odd raced backwards to Yumi as EVE-10 fired a comet to shoot down one of the tarantulas.

Yumi's body was rigid, but she was light; it was easy to prop her on his shoulder. But in this position, he could only drag Yumi. He couldn't fight off the impending mega tank, the last and biggest tarantula, or the polymorphic clone that was closing in behind them.

"Oh no," moaned Odd, as he struggled to hoist Yumi up to touch the orb. She wasn't close enough, but the clone was. "What the hell-?"

Things were becoming desperate. He threw Yumi into the orb, and the soft white light appeared out of the nothingness, surrounding Yumi and Therese. Therese disappeared, and Yumi collapsed onto the ground once more.

Odd whipped around and fired two shots into the polymorphic clone of himself. But this clone was smart enough to cartwheel out of the way.

"Eve!" shouted Odd. "Help me!"

Eve's ears perked up and he turned around. No amount of comets could kill off this clone. "I can't-!" was the desperate reply.

Odd dodged and shot, dodged and shot. "Well, can't you get the mega-tank… or even the tarantula?"

"I'll try…" was the distant reply. Odd darted around the clone's laser arrows again; the real Odd was getting tired.

"I got him!" squealed EVE-10 as the mega-tank blew up in the distance.

"That's great, buddy, but we have bigger problems." The tarantula, which was the last true monster left, was marching towards Yumi and firing rapidly.

EVE-10 scowled and ran after the tarantula. He was shouting different things, much like a chant, and various colored comets quickly were blasting like fireworks from his hands. The tarantula was undaunted, and Yumi was still bombarded.

Odd watched all of this from the corner of his eye. "Come on, Yumi, come on…" he whispered as he deflected a laser arrow. He punched the clone Odd in the face, and the clone fell unconscious. Odd ran to Yumi's side.

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Lay Me Down to Sleep**

It had been at least four hours since Yumi and Odd left for LYOKO. Where were they?

Ulrich sighed and slumped in his chair. So many things were happening all at once, it seemed unfair. His mother's death, William's death, Jeremie's suicide attempt, Mariah's betrayal, his kidnapping, his stay on LYOKO (or whatever it was)… but there was still one thing that kept haunting his mind.

She was once the object of his affection, once the key to his depression, once the summer to his autumn. Without her, his life wouldn't be complete; with her, he was miserable and full of guilt.

She was beautiful, but weren't most girls? She was smart and tough, but weren't most students? She was indescribable… but Ulrich was a fool. Everyone loves angels; only gods can love them like they should.

He shuddered and closed his eyes. He moved on; he realized that life is fragile and cannot be tampered by those who break things, even hearts. But there was also no one else to love, at least, who would love him back twice as much.

With these thoughts, Ulrich fell into a restless slumber.

**Chapter Twenty-Nine: No Problem**

Yumi coughed and sputtered blood. It was the first time she could taste blood in LYOKO; then again, she had never been in a XANA vs. Franz Hopper chess game before.

There was a worried face hovering over her. It came into focus slowly, and she saw it was Odd's. "Thank God, you're still alive!" he said as he ducked under the path of a whizzing green orb.

"Did I miss anything?" she smiled weakly.

"Nope, nothing," smiled Odd. "But I'll tell you all about it later." He dragged her up to her feet. She staggered a bit, but didn't fall back down. "Glad your back, though; we have a bit of a problem with this stupid clone," he thumbed behind him.

Yumi half-smiled as she jumped, pirouetted in the air, and threw her fans at the same time. As if in slow motion, the clone's eyes grew wide and his mouth tried to emit a scream. One of the fans decapitated him, while the other lodged in his chest.

The head rolled off of the body, the body collapsed on the ground. Yumi clapped her hands and the fans came back with absolutely no blood on them whatsoever.

"Problem? What problem?" she replied smugly.

**Chapter Thirty: Stability**

"Doctor, we stabilized him, but there really isn't a point now," murmured a dark-haired nurse.

"Janine, I'll tell the staff when or when there isn't a point," growled the old doctor. "I think," he looked at the pale and pained body of Jeremie Belpois, "he has a shot as much as any other patient does. Keep him on life support; if his parents don't care, then I'll have to care for them." The nurse sighed and angrily left the room.

The doctor gingerly touched Jeremie's cold and bare body. "You, Jeremie, will be taken care of, like a son I had a long time ago. I'll take care of you, I promise."

He left the room and shut the door quietly.

**Chapter Thirty-One: Emerge True Victor**

The white cloud spoke clearly now, "I win, XANA! Your king has been defeated. It is certainly clear now who is the true victor."

"Not so fast, Franz," the red cloud replied. "You cheated. I should be the winner."

"Cheated? I am not responsible for what my pieces did by their own will." Yumi blushed, knowing perfectly well what he was talking about.

"Well, you should be. I kept my own pieces under control."

"You cheated as well, XANA," the voice was calm. "You connected Jeremie's and Yumi's nerve receptors. If I remember clearly, we agreed that we would not contact the outside world until the game was over.

The board cracked in half and a thunderstorm shook the room violently. "Take your stupid humans, Franz! This game isn't over."

The red cloud left, as well as the last remaining tarantula. The white cloud left soon after, with Aelita's casket being lowered gently to the ground. "Aelita!" shouted Odd.

Yumi and EVE-10 joined him, and together the pried open the casket. Aelita was unconscious.

"Ulrich!" shouted Odd as he picked up the limp body. "Hey, Ulrich!" tears streamed from his eyes.

A click and a firm response. "What's up, guys? It took you long enough."

"Get us out of here, Ulrich. Just get us out," Yumi sobbed as she looked at the lifeless, yet breathing, form of pink-haired Aelita Hopper.


	4. Dreamscape

**In Our Darkest Hour… Part 3: Dreamscape**

_Dedicated to Mylinda, Molly, and Mariah _

**Chapter Thirty-Two: The Train Station**

All she could see was a grey sky, an overcast day, a miserable afternoon. The long moan of a train whistle brought her back to Earth. She stood at the top of her little mountain on the stairs, ready to conquer the world.

The hustle and bustle of all the commuters at the station roared louder than all the trains combined. A bearded grown man pushed her out of his way. She fell to her hands and knees, but saw a thin hand outstretched in front of her.

"Do you need help, my lady?" the hand asked curiously. Looking up slowly, she saw flashing green eyes under trimmed straw-colored hair. His nose was his most predominate feature (after all, it was extremely pointed), but she tried to notice his smile instead. It was a nice and ready smile.

She took his hand and got up to dust off her petticoat. "Thank you, sir. Some people…" she trailed off angrily.

He shrugged. "Can I help you to your train, my lady?"

"Well, actually, yes. I mean, I'm not riding a train; I'm waiting for someone to come off. But I wouldn't mind having an escort to the platform," she blushed as she flirtingly twisted her floor-length skirt.

The man with the bright green eyes, without a word, offered her his arm, and away they went down the stairs.

"So, what is it that you do?" she asked conversationally.

"I am in school to become a doctor, but I just came back from fighting in the war," he nodded solemnly. "When you are in a war, you see many things that you would rather not see."

He grew silent, his smile faded. "I- my brother was in the war… but he never came back," she added.

Her escort paused and eyed her carefully. "Then who is it you are coming to pick up?"

She had to pause. _Why did he care?_ She struggled under the pressure, "My fiancée's mother," she gulped and avoided his eyes, "She's elderly, and…"

His face turned into one of incredulous belief. "How old are you, my lady, that you can get married? I took you to be no more than fifteen, sixteen at the most," he eyed his companion from her red hair to my leather boots.

"I am seventeen." She was trying so very hard to keep her cool. However, the young man never let go of her. He offered her an empty bench while they waited for their trains to come in.

"Thank you, sir," she replied indifferently, smoothing out her skirt. He never stopped his gaze as he asked, "Do you love him?"

She thought about the question, and after a moment's silence, she responded, "I do not know. I thought I did-"

"Then why do you still want to marry him?"

"I guess I'm expected to."

"I bet you would be happier if you didn't marry him, right? You would travel the world or go to university or flirt with other boys."

She chuckled. "If I weren't marrying him… oh dear, I would do something first before all of that nonsense."

"Oh?" his eyes lit up with the expectation he would gain insight on the further workings of the female mind.

"Yes. I would marry you."

**Chapter Thirty-Three: New Room**

"Good morning, Jeremie," smiled the white-haired physician in his pristine white lab coat. He glanced at the clock as Jeremie fumbled around for his glasses. "Or should I say, good afternoon!" The doctor chuckled at his own joke.

Jeremie grumbled. The room was different: there was a different smell and look and feel and aura to it. Instead of smelling like ammonia and cotton, the room was fresh as a daisy. There were flowers in a single vase under the closed window; the cloudy day even cheered up the room a bit. The doctor sat on the foot of the bed and smiled gently at Jeremie.

"Doctor, what day is it today?" asked Jeremie in the politest way he could. He felt stronger for some reason.

The old man who had no creaks in his bones jumped and clapped. "It's my favorite day in the whole world- Friday!" And just as quickly as the quirky man stood up, he sat back down as if nothing had happened.

Jeremie sat up and his back cracked in seven different places. But it didn't hurt. It was as if the presence of the doctor alone was making all seem right with the world. "Well, I meant what day is today- er, the date, I mean."

"It's November 27th, but it's strangely warm outside for such late autumn," the doctor mused as he glanced out the window to the grey cityscape.

Jeremie had a wave of nausea that nearly knocked him backwards. He regained his balance; the doctor looked concerned. "Jeremie? Are you alright?"

The young patient shook his head. "I, uh, don't feel well at the moment. Maybe I'll be better soon." The doctor scribbled something in his stack of papers that he held tightly to his chest. "Nausea and whatnot."

The doctor nodded and wrote something down. Absently he added, "You know, you remind me of someone. You're… special. There's something different about you," he raised his jovial emerald eyes to meet Jeremie's icy blue ones. Jeremie's heartbeat skipped a pace.

Desperate to avert the topic from himself, Jeremie asked, "Doctor, if you don't mind, could you dial this phone number for me?"

Jeremie recited the number carefully, and held up his bandaged hands in a thankful gesture. The doctor placed the phone's receiver on the shoulder of Jeremie's sea-green hospital gown.

"Hey, Ulrich, it's Jeremie."

"Hey, buddy! What's up?"

"I just wanted to call up and wish you a happy birthday," Jeremie smiled at the doctor.

Ulrich was silent on the other line. "You- remembered."

Jeremie assumed at that point that the others in the group forgotten or that they were planning a surprise for him. The bed-ridden boy simply murmured, "Of course I did."

"Well, I have to go to class. I'm already late," and Ulrich hung up the phone. Jeremie heard the dial-tone and relaxed his shoulder. The receiver fell down into his lap so the doctor could return it to its proper place.

The doctor stood up. "Is there anything I can help you with, Jeremie?"

"Actually, yes. You never told me your name."

"Well, my name is on my tag. See? It says, 'Dr. Hopper.'"

**Chapter Thirty-Four: The House of Anguish**

"I expected, as a doctor, to be able to cure all things, and to make the sick well again. I was expected to shape the young into the old, and to carry the old on my back until their passing. I made expectations of myself to eliminate all suffering, eliminate all pain.

"I have failed myself. I have instead inflicted suffering and pain on myself and my family. If I could turn back time, I would have never gone to the train station… I would have never come back from the war.

"Only seven of the one-hundred-man division I was a part of came home alive, fewer still came home with all of their parts. As a medic, I saw little action and risked even less.

"I witnessed God's mercy, God's sorrow, and God's absence. Clarence, my best friend, miraculously survived a bomb on his trench. However, he was brought to me when shrapnel cut through his left leg. I had no alternative but to amputate.

"I ignored the screams- I had no choice. I would've cut off my own leg if it meant I would never see his face twisted so… oh, it is too awful for words. The whole thought is unbelievable.

"I thought the amputation was a success, but Clarence came down with a fever. His suffering chiseled my soul further and further every day. The clear sweat pouring down his forehead, the smell of infection, the crying of the night… it's still real in my mind.

"Clarence passed away silently, but I knew he didn't die quickly and painlessly. I let him down. I let God down- I should have gone in Clarence's place.

"But God let me survive; for what reason I am unsure of. These moments happened all so fast… the red-haired girl who wanted to marry me, my schooling that emptied my pockets faster than I could put money into them, and my life in general.

"My wife had an infant son not long after we were married. We tried so hard to give him a wonderful life, but we always fell short. I felt like I was depleting him of a childhood (that is something you can never get back).

"It was on a Saturday night when, in our bed not long after my son's birth, my wife and I lay talking about the recent news in the city. And then it happened: her eyes rolled to the back of her head, her body shook violently, and her mouth formed the letter "oh" sound as if she were in mid-thought. The shaking stopped.

"She screamed louder than my son usually did. I tried to calm her down, using all of my powers as a doctor. It didn't work. She shrieked, 'They're crawling, they're crawling over me! Make it stop!' Her last words. She tried to brush off the 'crawlers,' but she never finished.

"She died not in my arms. She died not as an old lady at peace with the world. She died not unlike Clarence, in pain and in suffering.

"The hardest thing I ever had to do was to give up my son. I let the orphanage take care of him; I was too poor and miserable to take care of me. His little face was in a restful slumber when I last kissed his forehead. I never saw him again.

"I prayed for solace, but whenever I received it, I washed it away. I didn't deserve solace when my son would never know his parents. I didn't deserve to be at peace when my wife could never be at peace. To this day, her ghost haunts me wherever I am, reminding me how worthless of a man I am."

**Chapter Thirty-Five: Dead Girl**

Odd groggily woke up as he sat leaning against the wall in his dorm room. His eyes eventually stopped being bleary to see Aelita in the same position she was in for the past twenty-something hours: stiff as a dead man, but breathing regularly on Ulrich's bed.

He desperately wanted to go back to sleep, but he just couldn't- not with Aelita just lying there like that. He glanced at the clock and scooted off his bed to stand and stretch. _It's only 3:00_, he mused to himself. _I could've slept for another hour!_

The door creaked open and Yumi, who was holding two cans of grape soda pop, tiptoed inside. She saw Odd and smirked, "I guess I can start my shift early, huh?"

"I guess so, but what am I going to do for another hour?"

She shrugged and put the cans on Ulrich and Odd's shared desk. "Sleep?"

"Ugh," he groaned. "Don't remind me." He sat back down and took off his purple t-shirt. "It's so ungodly warm in here," he muttered.

Yumi tugged at the collar of her grey and black long-sleeved shirt. "Yeah, it is. Did it just get that hot in here, or what?"

Odd thought about it and stared at the clock, then Aelita. "Who cares? All I care about is Aelita, but she's not waking up."

"XANA must've taken a lot of energy out of her when she was in that chess game. Maybe he took her memory too," Yumi sat on the bed next to Odd and ran her fingers through her silky black hair. Odd got up and sat next to Aelita's head.

"She's dead, isn't she? I mean, other than the breathing thing- she's dead. She's a dead girl," he whispered as tears formed at the edges of his eyes.

Yumi rolled up her sleeves to provide temporary relief. "She's not dead, not yet. But if she lasts much longer like this, she may not make it…" Yumi trailed off.

Odd brushed Aelita's soft pink hair with his fingers; a single tear fell on Aelita's forehead and ran off onto Ulrich's dark sheets. Shuddering, his bare back hunched over, making him seem smaller than he was. Yumi stood up and began to exit the door.

Absently, she mentioned, "I'm going to find the birthday boy. I'll be back at 4."

**Chapter Thirty-Six: Happy Birthday**

She didn't need to call his cell phone. She knew exactly where Ulrich was. She didn't run, either. She knew that he was going to be there for awhile. After all, it was his favorite place in the whole world: the forest.

Sure it wasn't home, but it was place that could give him peace of mind away from everything and everyone. And there he was, looking to the sky in one of the lower branches of a mighty sycamore whose red leaves had nearly fallen to the ground.

"Ulrich!" Yumi called out as she ran to him. He perked his head up at the mention of his name. When he saw who it was, he rested his head against the trunk's rough bark.

With her head start, Yumi found it incredibly easy to use her momentum to climb up the trunk to one branch under where he sat. A slight breeze swayed the unsteady branch. "Ulrich!" Yumi was becoming irritated with him very quickly.

"Ah, what do you want?" he asked sourly. "Are you here to remind me of how crappy my day is or how crappy my life is?"  
"I came to remind you that there are people back at Kadic who need you right now."

He looked at her and swung his legs over to face his body towards hers. "Oh? Is it my turn to babysit the vegetable?"

"What's your problem?" Yumi was feeling desperate.

"My problem is that I'm sick of wondering when I'm going to end up dead or psycho because XANA's winning a war that's out of our control."

Yumi flared her black eyes at him and was ready to slap him. "I came to remind you that, even though it seems bad right now, things will get better. And that people love you."

His face softened. Yumi was falling head over heels for him, again. "I love you," she whispered under her breath, as she jumped from her branch and onto the hard ground.

She walked away slowly, the wind lapping at her shoulders. "Wait!" She turned around, and Ulrich was hopping from branch to branch until he too landed on the ground. He hop-skipped over to her.

Yumi didn't say anything; she stared at her tennis shoes and avoided looking at, and falling in love with, him. "Yumi, I-" she heard him say.

"What?" she couldn't help sounding bitter; he was her first love… but he moved on… She looked up, she dared to look up. She fell into that trap which so many girls did whenever they laid eyes on Ulrich.

He held her hands in his. "This whole visit… Thanks. You being my friend has been a wonderful birthday present. Now come on, we have to go back to Aelita and Odd."

He dropped her hands and marched on ahead of her.

**Chapter Thirty-Seven: Final Touch**

Odd was alone with Aelita, his princess. The sun was setting through his window, casting strange yet beautiful colors over her peaceful face. Her body seemed tense, however; Odd lightly touched her arm in hopes of relaxing her.

She didn't budge. Odd sighed, wondering if this was the last time he could hold her and touch her. He shuddered to think of what could happen.

He lay next to her, her petite body fitting perfectly into his slightly bigger one. As he fell asleep- he didn't want to, though- he hummed a tune, creating the words as he went along.

_We might be worlds away_

_We might be seas apart_

_But it comforts me inside_

_To know we can see the same stars_

_I wish we could be together_

_Far apart? No, never_

_My heart belongs to you somewhere_

_For now and now forever_

_We're separated by heaven_

_You're my angel near and far_

_But it comforts me inside_

_To know we can see the same stars_

The last words trembled out of his lips. He slipped quietly into a deep slumber as he listened to the faint heartbeat of Aelita fade into silence.

**Chapter Thirty-Eight: Far, Far Away**

The red cloud grew larger and larger as it loomed in the sector-5 sky. "I win! I win!"

The white cloud, who was considerably smaller but not weaker, grunted. "You win nothing."

"The princess is dead! The princess is dead!"

"She isn't dead… not yet. She can still make it," the white cloud was becoming uneasy.

The red cloud thundered, "You give up too easily, Franz. Is that because your army deserted you?"

The white cloud vanished angrily as the red cloud laughed alone in the abandoned sector.

**Chapter Thirty-Nine: Progress**

Dr. Hopper and Jeremie got along famously. Jeremie loved having the doctor as a grandfather-figure, and the doctor lived for Jeremie.

Within a week of their first meeting in the ICU, Jeremie's hand bandages came off. The surgical scar was visible, but faint; his hands were weak, but mobile. It was progress, if anything.

Still, Jeremie was lonely. He hadn't heard from his friends in at least a week. Christmastime was quickly approaching, and more than anything he wanted to be with his friends- who were his only family.

Jeremie was contemplating this sad thought when the doctor came in. "Jeremie, you haven't been feeling well, I see on your charts."

"No," the patient said distractedly as he swung his legs over the bed to face the tiny window looking over the vast city.

"Has something been bothering you?"

Jeremie thought of LYOKO; he thought of XANA and Aelita and Franz Hopper. He thought of the factory and the lab. He thought of Yumi's motherly touch, of Odd's quirky sense of humor, of Ulrich's realistic outlook on life. He missed everything that was once a part of him.

But Jeremie couldn't let the doctor know that. "I… I've been thinking."

"Yes?" The doctor made himself comfortable on the foot of the bed.

Slowly, Jeremie began, "What happened to me?"

The doctor stared at the wall blankly; he sat in silence. Jeremie continued, "That night."

Dr. Hopper's voice was barely above a whisper, "Do you believe?"

"In what?" Both doctor and patient didn't look at each other.

"That there is another world, a world that is connected to our own. And everything we do affects this other world, and everything it does affects our world. That there is a parallel universe in-"

"-another dimension," Jeremie finished as he slowly turned his head to look at the amazed doctor. "I believe. I believe in all of that and more."

"You know about-?"

"LYOKO? And XANA? Yes… but how do you-?"

The doctor stood up abruptly and backed away from Jeremie as if Jeremie were about to curse the doctor. "We never had this conversation," he muttered hurriedly as he ran out the door into the hallway, leaving Jeremie lonelier than ever.

**Chapter Forty: Dream of the Sea**

The dark, calm ocean was always my favorite landscape. To view it just before I went to sleep always put me in a peaceful and serene state of mind.

The large yellow moon would cast strange shapes and reflections in a kaleidoscopic pattern. It was a light dance that tempted me to get out my flute and start playing along with the soundless ballet.

But when the stars were playing instead of the moon, the ocean seemed bigger and darker and all mine. It was my own little escape plan from my despairing life, even if imprisonment was inevitable.

Tonight was especially exquisite. I had a wonderful feeling that compelled me to go outside and play with the stars and fireflies on this warm night.

Before I knew it, I found myself crawling out of my bedroom window trying not to wake Francesca and Serena. I thought, as my second foot landed on the dew-ridden grass, that Sunshine (my infant sister) cooed an "I want to go with you," but I ignored her.

I didn't stop looking at the stars though. I kept on running and running towards the ocean, determined to catch my own wishing star.

My feet hit the warm water, and I stopped abruptly. I looked at the stars one last time (I thought I could see my brother's eyes in the constellations), with as much contempt as Satan when he was kicked out of heaven. I could never have a wishing star…

But I could have my wish come true.

**Chapter Forty-One: Fatal Outcome**

Jeremie awoke with a start. Time inside the hospital walls tended to stop and go as it pleased, with the intention of driving those inside it insane. He could only guess what day it was, and he could only fathom whether or not it was morning or afternoon.

Or maybe he didn't wake from his own accord. A soft female voice murmured his name. He looked over and sat up a bit at the same time. It was a pretty brunette nurse, young and thin.

The nurse came in, with the hardly-seen Olivia right in her tracks, but shut the door quietly.

"Where's Dr. Hopper?" Jeremie demanded nicely.

"He's… he's taken the day off. I'm Dr. Phillips; I'm on call for him today. Have you been feeling better lately?"

Olivia bit her lip nervously and eyed Jeremie. The nurse, ignoring the volunteer, asked again. "Have you? Be honest."

"No," Jeremie declared, his voice raising, but his soul depressing. "I've been unable to eat for awhile now. But my hands feel so much better out of those bandages."

Olivia looked away. Jeremie thought he could see tears in her eyes. "Why?"

Dr. Phillips drew a deep breath. "It seems that you are sicker than we thought, Jeremie. You have a fatal kidney disease."

Time stopped again. "I'm going to die?" he squeaked as he clutched his loose hospital gown.

"You have less than a year; but if you get a transplant- then you can live for a good while longer."

Death, at such a young age! The walls grew taller, surrounding him. Dr. Philips' face became fuzzy and pale. Olivia's eyes were large and crying for him, crying at him. His world became black.

He opened his eyes and everything was back to normal. "I- I can't be," he stuttered, "I'm alive! I'm alive!"

Dr. Philips muttered something about finding an organ donor and quickly left. Olivia, however, stayed; she held him and hugged him until he cried himself to sleep.

**Chapter Forty-Two: Rise, O, Rise**

The room was a sight to behold. It was dark save for a single dim lamp on the desk at the base of the room. Yumi was curled up on top of the desk next to the lamp. On his bed, a shirtless Odd was laying face down in his pillow. Ulrich was blocking the door by doing a combination of sitting and slumbering.

He heard a shuffling; his dark eyes flung open. If someone was outside and they demanded to come into Ulrich and Odd's room, all four would be suspended for having girls in a boys' dormitory.

But the shuffling wasn't coming from outside. He stood up slowly. Odd was still snoring and Yumi looked sore, but she wasn't trying to be comfortable. It had to be Aelita.

Sure enough, Ulrich approached the bed with caution and saw that Aelita was squirming in her sleep. "Shh!" commanded Ulrich as he tried to silence her little moans with his hand.

Aelita stopped squirming. Her chest heaved twice before resuming to normal breathing. Her eyes flashed open.

"You're alive!" Ulrich yelped softly in surprise. Aelita didn't say anything at first, as if she were trying to remember who he was.

"I'm- alive?" she asked cautiously, her voice not above a whisper.

"Yes! More than ever! You've been out of it for awhile now," he rambled on excitedly as he hugged her.

Aelita looked hurt and confused still. "I wasn't… there?"

"Where at?" Ulrich kneeled at the side of his bed so he could be closer to Aelita's soft voice.

"There… at the train station, in the bed with the screaming girl, with the baby, in the ocean?"

Ulrich was baffled. Her words sounded like code to him, but he was determined to figure it out. "What did you see?"

"Oh it would take hours to explain!" she exclaimed exasperatedly. "Are you sure you want to listen to it all?"

"Yeah. I want to know if you saw what I saw when I was in my 'coma'." He laid in bed next to her, face to face, so he could hear every word, every dream that came out of her mouth.

* * *

So sorry for the delay, but I was hospitalized for two weeks after I wrote this part of the story. I am also in a wheelchair, so it's very difficult for me to get downstairs to use my computer and write more Legacy. However, I will not abandon my biggest fans, and I shall write more and more every chance I get. 


	5. Midnight Solstice

**In Our Darkest Hour… Part 4: Midnight Solstice**

_dedicated to my great reviewers _

**Chapter Forty-Three: Four Visions in the Fog**

EVE had not been a part of LYOKO long, but it had been too long for his friends to come in contact with him. Aelita no longer lived in LYOKO, and EVE realized it was his turn to be the guardian.

"I can't possibly be the guardian!" he said aloud to the emptiness of the desert. He was starting to freak out, but after a few deep breaths his heartbeat slowed down to normal. "Okay, I'm just a temporary guardian; I have only a few responsibilities. It can't be forever, can it? Maybe Jeremie can make a better guardian when he gets back."

Just then a fog began to roll in. He didn't move from his reclining position under a shady boulder. "This is strange. I wonder if this happens all the time," he thought aloud.

From the fog, Aelita emerged; her clothes and face were completely white, as if she was a wax model. Behind her came the girl in the orb, the one that Odd called, "Therese." She too was completely white, her orb was pale and almost transparent. Next an energetic maiden in a white cloak smiled and held her hand in front of her. In her other arm, she carried a majestic long spear. And finally a haggard old creature with a long beard and a cane hobbled with a large book in the crook of his arm.

EVE was too shaken to respond or move. From Aelita came a distant voice, "Do not be afraid."

And then Therese, "We are here to help you."

And then the maiden, "We want to show you."

And finally the man, "And we want you to help us."

EVE mustered his voice. Is this what it was like to be afraid? "Who are you all? Why are you here?"

Aelita did not move or look at him. She spoke freely and confidently, nothing like the Aelita he remembered from their battles against XANA. "I am the Princess of LYOKO. I was and still am doomed to be connected to XANA. But when I die, so shall all evil and fear. In another dimension, a world shall experience a millennium of peace when I die. I am ready to sacrifice myself."

"No! Do not die!" gasped EVE. Now he was feeling guilt and helplessness.

"I will not die until my father wills it. He lives forever, and so will LYOKO."

Then Therese spoke. "I am an angel," she began, "and though I do not fight, I help any who reach out and ask for it. They shall live as long as I am around."

"I am a future guardian of LYOKO," replied the maiden with the spear, "and you must watch out for LYOKO until I am there- forever. You are very important to us."

"And to me. I was once the guardian of LYOKO, but I gave up that position when XANA threatened me with death. My people live in fear, but hope because there were guardians and there will always be a guardian."

"But why do you need me?" asked EVE cautiously. "What am I to do?"

Therese responded first. "Be the fearless guardian of LYOKO. And if you or any of your friends needs my guidance, throw some of this dust upon them." She disappeared as strangely as she had come.

Aelita was next. "Protect me. I want to live for awhile longer and I know the prophecy. Here is the prophecy," she trailed off into the fog.

"Save my people. When XANA is gone, we shall flourish! But you have hardly any powers, so I shall bestow mine upon you." He too disappeared.

"And believe in yourself," replied the maiden. "You will be wonderful guardian if you use the powers correctly." And in a more stern voice, "If you use your power for anything but good, XANA will win."

The fog disappeared. But instead, a small pouch of purple sand, a small scroll of paper, and a large book appeared in its place. EVE began to read the book and learned the powers of which the old man had spoken of.

**Chapter Forty-Four: Back to Normal**

"Jeremie! You're back!" squealed Yumi as she emerged from her art class in a winter coat. She ran up to him and nearly tackled him as he just stood and accepted her hug.

"Yeah, but I have to keep going back to the hospital for tests," he tried to muster a smile. "You know…"

She gave him a confused glance and grabbed his wrist. "Come on! It's lunchtime and the gang will be thrilled to see you!"

He had no choice but to hang on for dear life as Yumi dashed past the other students on the icy paths. "Even Aelita?"

"Totally! Did you know that she was in a coma after the chess game? And then Ulrich talked to her," she swung open the cafeteria doors and they slammed shut behind Jeremie.

"Look, I'm not very hungry; I'll just go sit down," he wrestled his wrist from her grasp as she watched him go sit down with the rest of his friends.

"Jeremie!" Odd nearly gagged on his chocolate milk as his friend sat down across from him.

Ulrich patted him on the back. "It's good to have you back. Now everything can be back to normal, eh, buddy?"

Aelita sat down next to Odd, across from Ulrich. "Hi, Jeremie! How are you feeling? Were the doctors nice to you?"

He suddenly remembered Dr. Hopper, and how Dr. Hopper acted when Jeremie mentioned LYOKO. "Most of them," he said distractedly. "What's been going on with you guys?"

"Well, Christmas break is coming up, so I'm staying in Paris with my Aunt Clara. I heard there's gonna be this kick-ass FERA concert on New Year's. But if you mean at school, nothing really," rambled Odd.

"Sissy actually got a boyfriend, though," mentioned Ulrich through a mouthful of peas. He swallowed them and continued, "Roscoe San Martins."

Jeremie feigned interest with a "Wow, I can't believe it. Roscoe's such an airhead."

"But he's so going to win the MVP this year," replied Ulrich. "He led our team to first place in the city tournament. Neat, huh?"

"As for me, I'm actually passing physics. I don't know how I achieved that one," laughed Yumi.

"Well, I was in a coma," Aelita seemed proud of her unusual circumstance. "And I had these strange dreams, like I was a part of it."

Jeremie got up and was about to leave without his coat. "Where are you going?" asked Odd. "Class doesn't start for another twenty minutes!"

"I may not have twenty minutes to live," he muttered as he snatched his coat and left for his favorite place in the whole world.

**Chapter Forty-Five: Christmas Break**

Aelita and Odd rode the bus back to Aunt Clara's neighborhood after classes were dismissed for the two weeks. There was hardly a spark now, not like the one that happened to be during the dance. Odd glanced over at his bus seat mate. She was staring at out the window, her hands clutching a purse.

He was about to say something, about to ask what she felt about him now. He wanted to say what he felt about her, to say anything at all. But his heart just couldn't find the courage to speak.

* * *

Yumi invited Jeremie to stay at her house for the two weeks. Her house was close to the hospital, and her parents were more than accommodating for the young guest. However, Jeremie was getting sicker as the days wore on. 

Yumi felt terrible about Jeremie's condition. She went into downtown Sceaux with him to try and cheer him up. Still, there was nothing she could do but sit with him silently- alone- in the Ishiyama family room every evening.

* * *

Christmas morning was always fun for Ulrich. Ever since he could remember, he would wake up to the smell of sugar cookies baking in a hot oven. He would run to the small Christmas tree in the family room, where presents would be stacked in colorful wrapping paper with looped paper bows. But his dad would secretly have the window open, and when Ulrich went to shut it, he would be nailed with a snowball. 

This year, Ulrich could smell the sugar cookies and whipped the covers off of him. As a teenager, he was a bit slower to get out of bed than a child.

Yet, it hit him. His mother couldn't possibly be making sugar cookies- she was dead for four months now. Now curiosity enticed him to the kitchen.

There his father sat at the kitchen counter, reading the business section of the newspaper, his eyes averting to see his son. "Merry Christmas," his father smiled for the first time in ages.

"Merry Christmas, Dad," smiled back Ulrich. He pulled up a seat next to his father, but his father got up from his stool. "Wait- where are you going?"

"I was making you Christmas cookies, but I forgot the sprinkles; they're in the car," he grinned as he raced outside. Through the screen door, Ulrich heard him clearly, "I knew how much you loved your mom's cookies so I used her recipe."

Ulrich was speechless; his father cared that much about him? The door opened and shut and his father came in the kitchen slowly with something behind his back. "What are you hiding?" Ulrich smiled, thinking it was a present (maybe a new soccer ball).

His father whipped a snowball at him, and Ulrich began to laugh. He ran outside in his socks and started a snowball fight with his dad. It was just like old times…

* * *

New Year's was a time of celebration, of recreation, and of FERA concerts. Aunt Clara managed to obtain two tickets to the Japanese heavy metal techno band for their Paris New Year's concert. Okay, so it was technically a New Year's Eve concert, and Odd and Aelita were going to be picked up at 1:00 in the morning. Christmas break would be over soon, and this was the perfect way to end it. 

Aelita was brimming with excitement in the backseat of Aunt Clara's car. "Oh, this is so exciting! I've never been to a rock concert before!"

Odd dressed in something a little more grunge than usual: a torn-up purple shirt over a white long-sleeved one; spiked bracelets on each arm; and black baggy cargo pants hiding flat-top black sneakers. "Me neither. This is great! Thanks, Aunt Clara!"

"Don't mention it, guys," she laughed as she parked the car by the main entrance. "I'll pick you up at 1:00, so don't be late!"

Aelita was so absorbed in the concert atmosphere, she didn't even notice her host's empty threat. She was jamming her torn blue jeans and pink tank top all the way into the concert where the band was just warming up.

Maybe it was the trance of the music or the waves of glow sticks, but Aelita felt alive. She forgot about her coma, her dreams, her Jeremie, her worries… she was living, dancing to the beat of her own soul. She didn't care about LYOKO; she belonged here, with the music, with her friends.

She belonged with Odd.

The band yelled, "Happy New Year!" and Aelita stood tiptoe to lock lips with a very surprised Odd.

**Chapter Forty-Six: The New Semester**

Ulrich was so eager to see his friends, he had already had his winter and spring wardrobe packed the previous night. The alarm clock buzzed for hardly a moment when he slammed his hand on the "off" button.

After a quick shower and changing into whatever clothes weren't in the suitcase, he raced through the hallway and slid into the kitchen in his white socks. Searching through the pantry furiously, he found a granola bar. He ate it while putting on his tennis shoes, and then he ran into the family room and hugged his dad farewell.

He put the suitcase into his little red car and finally zoomed off in the direction of Kadic, in hopes of a new beginning.

* * *

Yumi was rolling Jeremie's suitcase to his dorm room while he carried his laptop and a small duffel bag. The entire break wasn't fun, per say, but Jeremie hadn't died yet. That was always a good sign, he thought sullenly. 

He cleared his throat in the crisp January air and looked at Yumi. Yumi looked back at him and smiled. "It's a long walk when you have luggage to take," she humored.

"I wouldn't know," he answered just as playfully. "If I walked from school to home and back again every day, well, I'd never make it back here!" She laughed, and looked forward, seeing Aelita and Odd bounding off of a crowded city bus. The bus had stopped, and the driver had opened the under compartments so the students could grab their luggage and be out of his way.

Jeremie was happy to see them (for some reason, though Jeremie couldn't figure out what), and raced to where Odd was trying to pick out his suitcase from all the others. Yumi was in close pursuit, but the rolling suitcase on ice was not her most brilliant idea.

Aelita turned around with her duffel in one hand and suitcase in the other. "Hey!" she was surprised. "When did you get back?"

"Right… now…" Jeremie stopped to think about her question. Odd glanced at him, puzzled.

"Now? But we got here now. How can you get here now when we got here now… oh, whatever. I'm giving myself a headache," he went back to looking for his suitcase.

"Well, I'm going to put my stuff back in my room. It will be nice to have a school bed over a hospital bed for once," Jeremie responded after a few moments. Yumi followed obediently, happy that Jeremie was happy- for once.

**Chapter Forty-Seven: Breaking the Ice**

Jeremie plugged in his laptop and began to unpack what little clothes he had. The socks were neatly folded, the boxers were rolled up according to color spectrum, and the laptop was alarming that there was an attack on LYOKO.

Jeremie stumbled to the desk, confirming his worst fears. How could possibly go to the factory in his condition? Who was protecting LYOKO anyway? With a swift motion, he quickly dialed Ulrich via cell phone.

"Hey, Jeremie… are you back at school?"

"Yeah, but we've got a situation on our hands."

"What's that?"

"You're not at school yet, and we've got a problem in LYOKO."

Ulrich was silent. "Well, I can pick you guys up at the front gate. I'll drive us over to the factory in about seven minutes."

Jeremie hung up the phone and began to call the others.

* * *

EVE-10 was skating on an iceberg under the midnight skies of the ice sector. He was twirling around, enjoying his freedom of not fighting monsters with magic. He was taking a well-deserved break from reading the book that the vision gave him. 

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath: he wanted to leap so high into the sky that he would feel like a bird! This goal was achieved, and EVE dared to open his eyes. Wanting to see how high he was, he looked down, but the iceberg had disappeared.

He had no choice but to splash in the warm, clear waters of the vast sea in the ice sector. Wait- _what_? EVE tried to comprehend all of this as he swam steadily to a rapidly-shrinking flat ice plain.

**Chapter Forty-Eight: How to Battle Global Warming**

All four teens were successfully scanned into the ice sector. "Wow, Jeremie, this sure feels different," Odd commented as he looked around. "There's not a single iceberg left!"

Ulrich patted him on the back, saying, "Thank you, Odd."

Jeremie hummed in the atmosphere. "Well, your vehicles should be coming soon… transfer complete!" He cheered above them, clearly enthusiastic about the fact that the LYOKO gang was back in business.

"Jeremie, where's EVE-10 at?" Yumi looked around. "Isn't he supposed to prevent this type of thing from occurring?"

"I'm right here," called a voice from under the ice plain's shelf. "I can't get up here!"

Odd and Ulrich quickly pulled up EVE-10. "How's the water down there?" Odd asked as EVE shook off the surprisingly warm water.

"Not bad, actually," he smiled and nodded at the two young ladies who stood off in the distance. "But as you can see, that's a problem in the ice sector."

"You know what else is a problem?" Ulrich responded. "My over-bike can't exactly swim or fly, Jeremie," Ulrich sounded annoyed.

EVE held out his hand to silence Ulrich. "Well, I have been working on my powers. If you trust me, you can hold my hand as I fly…" he mumbled.

Ulrich scratched his head and tried to ponder what EVE said. Just then, the end of the iceberg where he stood melted off. Ulrich fell in with a quick splash.

"Ulrich!" screamed Yumi, and EVE (who then quietly whispered in a foreign language) went in to the sea after him. Hardly a moment passed when the two emerged, EVE holding Ulrich's wet hand as Ulrich coughed loudly. They were flying above Yumi, Odd, and Aelita.

"I bet it's a nice view up there," laughed Odd as Aelita got onto the over-board holding her boyfriend's waist.

"We can't waste anymore time, guys," Yumi reminded them. Without another word, she raced up to the heavens with her companions following her close by.

* * *

There was a brightly shining sphere in the sky, which was unusual for the midnight skies of the ice sector. Aelita assumed that this white "sun" was what was melting the ice sector.

"I'm sure you're right, Aelita," Yumi murmured. "But I wonder how we can get rid of it…"

"EVE-10, can't you do anything? Use your magic or something?" rambled Odd excitedly. The elf-like creature shook his sea-green hair.

"Sorry, I don't know anything like that," he muttered. "But if it was created, it certainly can be destroyed," his voice grew stronger. "And if it was created on LYOKO, it can be destroyed by LYOKO. And if it was created by XANA, then it can be destroyed with XANA."

"Okay, even I don't get that," Ulrich's eyebrows furrowed. "Can you explain your plan a little bit… better?"

EVE thought for a moment. "On Earth, how do you put out fire?"

"With water!" shouted Odd as he raised a knowing finger in the air.

"So now all we need to do is taunt the sun… tell it to come down to burn us," he lowered his voice. "We need to get the sun's attention so that it sinks itself in the water."

"But the ice sector would be destroyed in the process!" protested Aelita.

"Well, that's a risk I'm willing to take," EVE said flatly. "Ladies and gentlemen, let us taunt!"

* * *

Odd went first, firing his laser arrows as fast as he could. The sun became bigger as each arrow hit its center. "Guys, this isn't working!" Odd yelled nervously.

"Yeah it is! It's coming closer! Fire away, Odd!" Ulrich cheered him on. EVE, though he was still holding Ulrich's hand, mustered a comet ball.

"Hi… yah!" he yelled as he hurled the comet at the sun. The sun became bigger still and was growing more intense.

Yumi ventured towards the sun. She was very close to it, and her geisha makeup began to sweat off her face. The sun stopped growing and began to growl at her.

"I'm not afraid of a puny little fireball like you!" she jeered. "You're probably the slowest sun ever!"

"Yeah!" shouted Odd, and Aelita slapped him upside the head. "You idiot!" she hissed. "I don't feel like getting chased today!"

Yumi turned her over-craft around and sped up to the fullest speed she could muster. With a gulp she turned the craft so the nose pointed straight down. "Hey, stupid sun!" she shouted. "I bet you can't melt that iceberg way over there before I do!"

"What iceberg?" whispered Ulrich to EVE. EVE held up a finger to his lips to quiet him.

The sun looked like a humongous comet as it hurled itself past Odd, Aelita, Ulrich, and EVE. Yumi looked behind her shoulder and saw the sun completely covering the dark background of the sky.

She turned her head forward and before she could turn her craft upwards, she went into the now-warm waters of the ice sector. The sun's flames were put out as it rapidly sunk itself in the ocean.

"Way to go, Yumi!" shouted Aelita. Odd hooted and hollered at the victory.

Yumi appeared moments later, without her over-craft, in the middle of the ocean. EVE, with Ulrich still in his grasp, rescued her from the now freezing waters of the ice sector.

"Jeremie! Hurry up with the devirtualization already!" Ulrich shouted to the skies. And within moments, Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, and Aelita were back in the factory with Jeremie.

EVE flew off to the activated tower.

**Chapter Forty-Eight: Wrong Woman**

Ulrich raced from the dormitory in a black sweatshirt and new khaki pants, trying not to splash in the puddles the melted snow had left. "Hey, guys," grinned Ulrich as he joined his friends in the vending machine pavilion. Jeremie, in a long black coat, was sipping a water bottle, his yellowing face looking ill yet happy. Odd was chugging a large chocolate milk, trying not to spill it on his brown leather coat, as Aelita, huddled in her pink sweater, looked on in mocking disgust. Yumi, in a red windbreaker, was holding a piece of mint-green paper in front of her, clearly interested in the words on the page. Yumi looked up and beckoned him over to her.

"Our school is hosting a foreign exchange student program," she began excitedly. "They're coming in today. The paper just says to be nice to the Pacific Islanders." Jeremie and Aelita laughed with her at the reminder.

"Do you think we'll know who they are? What if they look just like us?" Odd inquired as he tossed his milk carton away.

Jeremie rolled his eyes. "They _will_ look like you. They're human, like you. And just because they're from the Pacific Islands doesn't mean that they look extremely different."

"Totally, Odd. In fact, I met someone on the way over here that looks like you- blonde hair, blue-green eyes… everything," he chuckled as Yumi tried to stifle her laughter.

"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny, guys," he groaned. But he was soon captivated by the thin, lanky straight-blonde-haired babe in a pristine white winter coat that walked farther off in the distance. She was reading a white piece of paper and looking up occasionally. "Whoa! Who's that babe?" Aelita punched him in the back angrily. "I mean, who's she?" Odd rubbed his back in pain.

"Isn't she hot?" Ulrich put his arm around Odd and pointed in the distance. He turned his head around and winked at Aelita and Yumi.

"Totally," Odd whispered so Aelita wouldn't hear him.

Ulrich removed his arm from Odd's shoulder and clapped and yelled loudly. "That's who I talked to… That's your SISTER!"

Odd yelped and blushed. He slowly turned around, his eyes wide and guilty-looking. "You guys won't say anything, will you?" he meekly replied as Aelita crossed her arms and stomped her foot impatiently. "Sorry, Aelita," he hung his head shamefully.

"Oh, Odd," she groaned as she chuckled. "I will never forget this as long as I live!"

And everyone had a laugh at Odd's expense as the warning bell rang for their first class period of the day.

**Chapter Forty-Nine: Enter Warrior**

It was lunchtime later that day. Jeremie met up with his friends at the lunch table with a purple tray in his hands. He sat down, not at all eager to eat the meatloaf that Rosa had served him.

"Jeremie, I have a question," asked Odd through bites of wilted broccoli. "Will the ice sector ever be back to normal?"

Jeremie shrugged. "Depends on how long it takes for an iceberg to form in Lyoko."

"Oh," mused Odd, as if it all came together for him right then. Odd went back to chewing his broccoli.

Ulrich came to the table after this, with a girl in a white shirt and long tan skirt following him. But Jeremie remembered this was the girl he saw far off in the distance. She was not exactly the spitting image of her brother, per say, but she did resemble him. Her blue-green eyes were large and innocent; her skin was creamy but tan at the same time; her lips were in an easy smile; her freckles dotted her button nose.

"Thanks, Ulrich," she said as she sat down. "You've been so nice and helpful to me all day. I really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it, Alana," he smiled at her. Then, to the table, "As you may or may not know, this is Alana." The new girl waved and added, "But you can call me Allie."

Odd coughed in embarrassment. Yumi spoke to Allie, "I'm Yumi, the other girl is Aelita, this fellow is Jeremie, and that's your brother." Odd smiled and blushed.

Allie looked confused. "Are you sure that's him?" she whispered to Ulrich. Ulrich nodded and stifled his laughter. "Oh, Allie," he said after awhile. "You're so funny."

"Okay…" she looked at him sideways. "I guess." She shook her head softly as she began to cut the slab of grey meatloaf.

Ulrich hadn't stopped looking and smiling at her. Yumi cleared her throat and Ulrich looked away from her in embarrassment.

"Todd," Allie began as she directed her focus from the meatloaf to her brother.

"You're name's 'Todd'?" Ulrich asked incredulously. "And all this time, I thought…"

Odd punched him in the side without turning his attention from Allie. "Please, sister, call me Odd," and then in a whisper, "I beg you!"

She raised a blonde eyebrow and continued, "Well, I… uh," she stopped and stared at Jeremie. Jeremie stared right back at her, his face rigid and passive.

"Oh, Allie," encouraged Aelita, her pink hair bouncing as she nodded. "You can tell us anything."

Allie stared and Jeremie mustered a smile. Allie looked away and got up quickly. She brushed her skirt more out of habit and adjusted the waistline. Ulrich stood up also, but for what reason Yumi couldn't comprehend.

"Oh, no, Ulrich," Allie muttered, looking in the distance. "I need to tell Odd something. It will sound stupid if I say it aloud. That's all." She smiled distractedly and said, "Thank you very much for letting me sit with you."

"No problem, Allie," grumbled Yumi. And to Ulrich she said, "You can sit down now, buddy."

Ulrich quickly obeyed and Odd followed his sister as she left the cafeteria.

* * *

Allie stood outside in the snow without her jacket, her arms crossed tightly to her bosom. She stared upwards at the full moon and cloudless sky. 

Odd noticed that it had been so long since he last saw her. She wore a light, white dress, her arms crossed over her tiny chest. Her straight blonde hair stuck out over her summer-tanned skin. Her face was stoic then, and blurry. Maybe she smiled on the island, maybe…

And as the plane pulled away, Odd could see his sister standing there. She was alone, doomed to stay on that wretched island forever. She had no playmate, no classmate, no brother. All she had was the silver heart locket he gave her before he left for the "big school in Paris." That heart locket still shone even as the plane was many, many miles away.

Under the full moon, Allie still looked distant, and the heart locket still shone brightly. "Allie?" Odd called softly.

Like a startled bunny, she stared wide-eyed at him. "What's wrong? Are you homesick?"

She shook her head and he came to stand next to her. "No, but…" She startled him by laughing. "When I stood on the beach near our house, I thought that you could see the same stars as me. But you don't have stars here."

He looked up and sure enough, not a single star appeared from the dark sky. "Well, we do… sometimes. I mean, when there isn't a moon…"

She looked at him, her wet eyes glistening in the reflection of the moon. "I know about LYOKO," she whispered, her voice quivering.

"But- _how_? Have you ever been there?"

She didn't respond and turned her head away. "Something terrible is to happen," she said, her voice a little louder. "Armageddon is near." And she ran off towards the dormitories, in the opposite direction of her friends, the cafeteria, and her brother.

**Chapter Fifty: Meeting Dr. Hopper**

The next day, after class, Jeremie and Aelita caught the first bus to the downtown area. It was another test for Jeremie- which he dreaded- and Aelita had volunteered to be by his side.

Jeremie thought nothing of it. Aelita and Odd clearly had something between them, something that she and Jeremie once had… maybe. But Aelita wasn't hostile towards Jeremie at all. In fact, it seemed as though she wanted to be his best friend.

But Jeremie couldn't help but wonder why the sudden change. Was it because he was dying? Was it because she felt guilty? Jeremie's head began to throb with all the questions.

"Jeremie? Are you alright?" asked Aelita softly as she placed her hand carefully on his leg. He looked up and murmured, "I just have a headache, that's all."

The bus soon stopped in front of the hospital, where Jeremie and Aelita got off. Everything seemed the same for Jeremie- the lobby, the nurse, the elevator, the familiar hospital stench… but it had been forever since he last saw Dr. Hopper.

Jeremie remembered that Dr. Hopper's office was on the third floor, in the south wing of the hospital. Sure enough, as the pair came off the elevator, the door seemed to magically appear in front of them.

Dr. Hopper swung his door open and met them face to face. "Hello!" he cheerfully greeted. "How are you?" he bellowed more than asked. He seemed awfully giddy today.

"I'm alright," Aelita chuckled at the old man's vibrancy. "And yourself?"

He ushered them in and shut the door. "I had a wonderful feeling when I woke up that something great was going to happen today. Something better than great… something-"

Jeremie cleared his throat. "Um, Dr. Hopper?"

The tall old man with the flashing green eyes flopped down in his chair and became as serious as Jeremie. "Yes, Jeremie?"

"This is my friend, Aelita," Jeremie introduced. "And Aelita, of course, this is Dr. Hopper."

Dr. Hopper shook Aelita's hand firmly and smiled politely. "Well, Jeremie, you can go up to the fifth floor, in the east wing, where they're going to do a quick test on you. Just tell them your name and who sent you."

Jeremie was taken aback by this remark. "Okay, then…" he trailed off as he left the office.

Aelita was left alone with the doctor. She was told the condition of Jeremie's disease, as of the last test, and much more information that she couldn't quite comprehend. But alas, she knew that Jeremie was seriously ill and perhaps wouldn't live to the summer if he didn't find a donor.

Determined to not feel such a burden, Aelita tried to change the subject. "I have a question. What do you believe about dreams?"

"Well, I believe that all dreams are a part of the subconscious mind, as if our mind is trying to tell us something that our conscious mind could never figure out. Why do you ask?"

She paused and began, "A couple months ago, I was in a coma. And I had several dreams, and I'm determined to find out what they mean. The first one was about a red-haired lady… I was the lady…"

And so Aelita told the story of the lady meeting the poor doctor at the train station, the story of the doctor who left his friend dead at the war, that same doctor whose wife died of spiders, and the infant son he left behind.

The doctor listened to all of these stories and grew silent as the minute dragged on after she finished. He whispered, "That's my story… you dreamed of my life, yet we never had even met."

"And what do you make of it?"

"I- I- I don't know," he answered. "But your subconscious mind must've made you dream it… and your mind must've brought you here to tell me. What was your name again, girl?"

"Aelita… Aelita Hopper." The doctor's eyes flashed brilliantly.

"Tell me, Aelita, who was your father?" He perched on the edge of his seat, desperate for the answer.

"His name was Franz Josef Hopper, and he told me he was an orphan from Paris. I do not know who my grandfather was."

He coughed twice. His voice became weak, tears formed in his emerald eyes. "My name is Josef Hopper, and I gave my son his mother's name, which was Francine. I named him Franz Josef Hopper, and when he was a month old, I gave him to the orphanage."

He walked over to Aelita and hugged her tightly. "You are my granddaughter, Aelita." And more joyously, he added, "This is the great thing that was to happen to me today- you are the greatest thing to happen to me!"


	6. Depths of Night

**In Our Darkest Hour: Part 5: The Depths of Night**

_dedicated to Stephanie, Molly, Jessica, and especially my reviewers_

**Chapter Fifty: The Newcomer**

Yumi didn't like Allie. She was not as bright and sunny as Odd, though they looked nearly identical. Allie was secretive, awkward, and somewhat dark. Yumi was convinced that Allie had a secret, a horrible secret, which made her this way.

And maybe it was the fact that Allie attached so easily to Ulrich instead of the others. What about Aelita, who was starting to come out of her shell? What about Jeremie, who needed a friend in his misery? What about Odd, her own twin brother? _And what about me?_ Yumi wondered. _What's wrong with me?_

Allie sat two desks in front of Yumi in this period's art class. Yumi noticed that Allie was deeply engrossed her work, very serious and silent. But because she was so interested in Allie, her teacher noticed that she had not even picked up a pencil to start today's drawing.

Yumi could see- sort of- what Allie was doing. She was carefully but efficiently using oil pastels to portray what Yumi assumed was a king. The king was tall and handsome, young and blonde, fearless and merciful. He bore a gold-dented crown, not very ostentatious or full of gems, and a silver sword instead of a scepter. Yet Yumi knew he was a king by the blank stare in his sky blue eyes and the faint pride that swept over his lips.

Allie stopped in mid-stroke and turned around slowly. She locked stares with Yumi; Yumi, abashed, looked at the floor hurriedly. Allie raised a golden-brown eyebrow, shrugged, and went back to painting her king.

* * *

Odd woke up in the middle of Professor Roanoke's speech. She didn't seem to notice that he had been asleep at all. Next to him, Ulrich was slowly nodding off to dreamland as the teacher monotonously described trigonometric functions. 

What was more surprising was Jeremie, who sat in front of him, snoozing happily, his face hidden underneath crossed arms. "Psst, Jeremie!" Odd hissed as quietly as he could. Jeremie would not budge.

Odd wrote something on a piece of paper, wadded it up, and tossed it on his friend's desk. Still, Jeremie would not awaken.

Desperate, Odd took his sharpest pencil and thrust the pencil as hard as he could into Jeremie's back. Jeremie shot upward, trying not to scream.

He turned around quickly with fire in his eyes. Odd pointed to the wad of paper on his desk. Angrily, Jeremie tore it open and his face softened as he read it.

**Jeremie, what do you think of my sister?**

_Well, Odd, I think highly of her._

**You don't think she's… strange? Dark? Ugly?**

_What makes you say that?_

**Nothing. I have a problem.**

_With Allie?_

**No.**

Odd couldn't tell him the truth. Allie was different than he remembered. What she said… about LYOKO… about the stars… about how Armageddon was near. Instead he wrote

**Do you think other people know about LYOKO?**

Jeremie sat straighter in his chair. Odd could tell that this question was either logically hard to comprehend, or that Jeremie was stumped. After a few minutes he wrote

_Honestly, I'm not sure. Sometimes I feel like I'm all alone with this huge dark secret… and I may never get rid of it. It's as if I'm chained to LYOKO, if not its destiny._

Odd crumpled the paper back up and stuffed it in his bag. Somewhere deep in his heart, he felt just like Jeremie did. He wondered if everyone else connected to LYOKO felt that. He avoided Jeremie's eyes, fearing that he may say something he was going to regret later.

* * *

The bell rung about seven minutes later and the three friends met in the hallway outside the classroom. Aelita joined them soon after. Her face fell when she saw Odd and Jeremie avoiding each other's gaze. Ulrich simply appeared tired.

"What's going on?" she demanded. "I swear, if you two are fighting again…"

Odd slowly met her intense stare. "We're not fighting," he muttered wearily. "Trigonometry sucks."

She rolled her eyes and pivoted out of the circle of friends, her dark pink hair bobbing as she walked away. Jeremie spoke up first. "Odd," he began slowly, "What do you mean, 'other people know'?"

Odd rubbed the back of his neck. "I… I… was just thinking that's all. Ulrich, with his dark brown eyes, ogled at him. "You? Thinking?"

Odd's heart wasn't into the game. He was ready to get the secret off of his chest, let everyone know Allie's secret. That way, he wouldn't be the only one to know.

"Never mind," he grumbled as he walked down the hall and out of the academic building.

**Chapter Fifty-One: Magic and Gateways**

EVE-10 glanced around the familiar landscape. The mountains reached high to the perfect, cloudless blue sky. The few trees swayed in the cool, calm breeze. The towers stood erect without being surrounded by the red clouds of XANA. Yet, there was something not quite right about it.

A sharp headache bolted through EVE's head. He clenched his sea-green hair and collapsed on the ground, writhing in pain.

* * *

Jeremie was half-awake in French class, but Allie woke him up. She gasped as if she had just had a horrible nightmare or vision. Her eyes grew wide and she clutched her desk with wide knuckles. Jeremie tried not to stare; Allie seemed to not notice him. With that same blank stare in her eyes, she got up quietly from her desk. The teacher didn't notice her until she walked out the door, zombified and still silent.

"Alana Della Robbia! Where do you think you're going?" he started to yell; but when Jeremie decided to follow her, he gave up and continued rambling in French.

* * *

Alana walked for another several meters and stopped. Her shoulders tensed, she slowly turned around and met Jeremie's eyes. Her eyes seemed scared, but they didn't have that faraway look in them. He was about to speak, but she quickly ran down the hall and out of the science building. 

It was time to go investigate in LYOKO.

* * *

Aelita found herself back in LYOKO, back in the mountain sector, quicker than she had hoped. Ulrich stood next to her, anxiety sweeping over his dark features. EVE-10 was holding his head in hands as if he had a massive headache. Odd walked around a few paces in front of them. 

"Do you guys see anything?" Odd asked Jeremie and Yumi through the sky.

A pause. "No, but I'm sure there's gotta be something around there," sighed Jeremie. "I'll check for an activated tower."

Odd walked back over to his green-haired friend. "You know, I think EVE is a girly name," he said conversationally. Ulrich narrowed his eyes; the boy had a headache and he didn't need Odd to make it worse.

Aelita chuckled. "XANA could be taking over the world, and all you can think about is his name?" she pointed at EVE-10, who smiled faintly.

Jeremie interrupted them. "Well, do you have a better solution?"

"I like Everett myself, personally," Odd suggested. "But of course-" Jeremie tried to keep the topic focused.

"I don't think that this problem has to do with that new program I'm working on…" Jeremie hummed above them as Ulrich began to pace.

Aelita cleared her throat as she went under the tree where Everett sat holding his head and groaning. "Jeremie, EVE… er, Everett… is getting worse. We have to help him!"

Yumi's voice beaconed like that of an intercom. "Ask him what's wrong. Make him tell us everything!"

Everett sat up straighter, his sea-green hair nearly covering his amber eyes. "I was patrolling the area and then I decided to try a spell from the book. And I saw a girl and I felt like I was being torn into bits…" he rambled.

"What spell? What book?" Aelita encouraged him.

"I tried to call back the dead," Everett murmured. The air fell silent. "It's a spell called 'Karris Ko-Marhee' which translates to 'Death No Longer.'" After a long pause, he continued. "It's from that book I got a while back."

"Who did you try to call up?" Yumi cringed, her thoughts flooding back to William, to Mariah, to Ulrich's mother…

Everett kept his voice low. "I tried to call back a guardian, you know, a protector of LYOKO. And it didn't work. I called upon a guardian, but she was still alive. She seemed unwilling, frightened, and yet…"

Yumi tried to make him keep going. "Jeremie's looking at the code right now, Everett. Now, why does your head hurt?"

"The guardian… it was like I had seen her before… she was a part of me, and the spell- I must've said a part wrong- forced her to become a part of my soul. And because we live in two different worlds…"

Aelita interrupted him. "I didn't feel any different."

Jeremie gasped. "Allie!"

Odd jumped at his sister's name. "She's the guardian?"

Jeremie quickly replied, "I meant to say 'Really?' And I found the error in the code… well, it's more like extraneous code…"

"So can we come back now?" stomped Ulrich. "I'd like to eat dinner soon- I'm starving!"

"Okay, guys… this is going to sound weird, but face the copse…"

"What's a copse?" all four friends in LYOKO replied at once.

"The trees. Face the trees. Now, walk straight into the thickest tree," commanded Jeremie.

Though Odd was walking he couldn't help but wonder, "Hey, Einstein, this better not be a cruel physics experiment…"

Ulrich walked a little faster than the rest of them, and right before he hit the tree, he hit the air. It was solid, like a wall made of stone or steel, and the impact of which he hit it made him stagger a few steps backwards. Ulrich stood in amazement at the wall as Odd, Aelita, and Everett all hit the wall right after one another.

"What _is_ that thing?" asked a stunned Aelita as she rubbed her head from where she hit the wall.

"That's what I'm wondering. According to this computer code, this is a gateway. With the right key, I assume, the wall will open or something. I've never seen anything like it," he admitted.

Yumi continued, "Then it's settled. Everett's headache was a false alarm, and now we have to find this so-called key. I guess you guys can come back now." Jeremie typed in a few keys disappointedly as Yumi said quietly to him and him alone, "Why did you say Allie was the one Everett accidentally called upon?"

"Why? Are you jealous that he didn't call you?" he replied bitterly and hurriedly. "What's your problem anyway?" He cleared his voice, trying to make his tone less sour, "I've noticed that you don't get along with Allie."

She hissed, "Allie is not my friend because friends don't hide secrets."

"Oh? And how do you know the rest of us aren't keeping secrets from you?"

She opened her eyes wide and fell silent. "Well, I'm not keeping any secrets from any of my friends. And I don't try to take away other people's boyfriends."

"Tell me about it," he said distractedly as he thought about Odd and Aelita. But then he realized she was talking about Odd's sister. "Ulrich and Allie just click that's all. Besides, you and Ulrich were never going out."

"So? I like him and that's all that matters. It doesn't matter if likes me back because he will always be in my heart." Jeremie faced her and smiled genuinely. "And I'm not just saying that because of William."

She heard Ulrich clear his throat behind her. "Well, that's very nice of you," he smiled as she turned around. But he didn't say another word as he turned to leave the factory to go get dinner.

**Chapter Fifty-Two: Grandfather**

Aelita had to go alone to Dr. Hopper's office. She had to know for herself why everyone was acting so strange. It all started after that weird new girl came, she pondered. Allie, Odd's total opposite, had caused the disharmonies between her friends; and she was making Yumi angrier than usual.

Dr. Hopper met with her willingly as it was hardly ever that he saw his granddaughter, ever since he found out he had descendants. Still, Aelita wondered if she should burden her grandfather with such a headache as LYOKO. Then again, it was her own father that created it. It was her own father that robbed her of a childhood.

"I have a problem, and I come to you for answers," she told matter-of-factly. He nodded and clasped his hands together, eager to listen. She continued, "This is going to sound very strange, but I'm going to have to start at the beginning. In order to know the context of my problem, you have to listen from the very beginning."

He interrupted her, "Is this about LYOKO?"

She gasped. "How- how did you know?"

He turned his chair so that it faced the east wall, in which with a turn of the head he could see both Aelita and the view of downtown. "Your friend, Jeremie, asked me if I knew." He fell silent. "And I knew."

"Do you know about what happened… to me?" she shrunk in her chair.

"What happened?" he asked distractedly, looking out over downtown Sceaux.

She cleared her throat and told him of that day when the authorities tried to take her and her father away. How they ran away into the towers. How she never saw her father again, but she knew he was there. How she met Jeremie and the gang, and came to Earth again. How she felt…

"Like an alien. Like you didn't, and don't, belong," he finished her thought quietly.

She didn't respond; he knew that was the answer.

"Aelita, there is a philosophy which I believe in. It says that we are all connected to everyone else. We, yes, all of us, are connected to the rocks, the trees, the birds, the fish. We are connected to each other's destiny. I'm connected to you, you are connected to me, I am connected to Jeremie, and so forth… You also have to believe that we are connected to LYOKO."

"What? All of us? Surely myself, and Jeremie… but you? But Allie?"

His emerald eyes flashed brilliantly under furrowed eyebrows. "You have no idea how I am connected to LYOKO. If I told you, it would take hours, even days- and that's nonstop." He paused. "Who is this 'Allie'?"

"Her real name is Alana, and she's weird. She has a secret, and nobody likes her because she won't tell her secret. It's like she has no friends."

He cleared his throat. "You think that her secret is about LYOKO?"

"How many people know about LYOKO? I can count them on my fingers." She reached out her hands to prove a point. "And Allie isn't one of them."

Dr. Hopper closed his eyes. "Aelita, your problem isn't with Allie. It's with the fact that you do not think outside of the box. For someone with such a unique background as yours, I am disappointed you have such a one-track mind." He smiled gently. "But, if you are wondering if Allie is part of the destiny of your world, you should ask her. That's what I would do."

She stood up quickly, smiled, and nodded. "Thank you, grandfather. It was good to talk to you."

She was about to close the door when he shouted, "Aelita! Wait!" She stopped and turned around, thinking she forgot to take something. He ran up to her from behind his oak desk. "If for some reason I do not live past forever, there is an envelope in my desk. It's in the locked drawer," he handed her a small silver key. "Only you are allowed to read it."

Once more she nodded and whispered her good-byes as she left the hospital to go back to Kadic Academy before nightfall.

**Chapter Fifty-Three: An Unexpected Asset**

Odd could hardly fall asleep. Usually, he was out like a light as soon as he hit the mattress; tonight, there was something that was bothering him. Every time he closed his eyes, his sister would appear. Her blonde hair flowing behind her, like Therese's… God, how he missed her.

But there was no time to mourn over Therese, not while XANA was fiercer than ever. Would XANA ever quit? Was he doomed to fight XANA forever? The thought depressed him, so he tried to go to sleep and forget about it.

And then his cell phone rang, taking him from his restless night. "Hello?"

"Odd, I'm sorry to wake you…" Jeremie said quickly.

"Actually, I wanted to thank you for doing so," Odd replied honestly. _I can't tell him that I was dreaming about my sister. _"It's been a long night."

Jeremie laughed. "Well, it's about to get longer. Get down to the factory, we have a situation."

"You want me to wake up Ulrich?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at Ulrich's wide-open mouth.

"Sure, the more the merrier. Just hurry up, will ya?"

* * *

Ulrich couldn't believe that XANA would activate a tower at 1:00 in the morning, but, as Odd bluntly put it, "It's XANA; he can do anything he wants to."

Jeremie had circles under his eyes when he greeted them at the elevator. His eyes had a notion of urgency in them; it was a sign that he should not be asked questions, nor should anyone question his authority. Odd and Ulrich didn't say another word until they were both in LYOKO.

"Ooh, the desert! I haven't been here in awhile!" exclaimed Odd in an attempt to make Ulrich laugh. Ulrich smiled. But after a moment there was no word from Jeremie.

"Um, Jeremie?"

"What?" he hissed.

"What are we doing here?" asked Ulrich.

Silence. Odd shrugged and began to walk away from Ulrich. "Where do you think you're going?"

Odd kept walking and shouted back loud enough for all to hear, "If Jeremie won't tell me why he dragged me out of bed at 1 AM, then I'm gonna find out myself!"

* * *

Aelita and Yumi were in the mountain sector, waiting for Everett. "Yumi," Aelita whispered to her friend. "Do you know why we're here? Isn't it strange that Jeremie would drag us out of bed to just stand here?" 

"You're right, that doesn't seem like Jeremie at all. But, when Everett gets here, it will be all okay."

"But what if Everett never comes?"

Yumi frowned. "Where else would he be?"

* * *

In Carthage, sector-5, Everett was in the middle of something. He knew that Jeremie was trying to call him back into the forest sector, but he just couldn't go now. The spell was almost complete. Almost. 

Jeremie was making him lose his concentration… _Do'maris, Supka, O'metta, Alanian, Karis, don Sepa… Do'maris, Supka, O'metta, Alanian, Karis, don Sepa… _not now, Jeremie… _Do'maris…_

A white cloud appeared over him, similar to the one he saw in the vision he had. The spell had worked! The spell had worked!

With a flash of lightning, the cloud opened like a curtain, like a veil. And from it emerged a beautiful girl in a long blue hooded cloak. She had blonde hair, like the girl in the bubble, but she carried a spear as a seasoned warrior would.

"You're the one from my vision!" And then he had to know, "Are you the one from the dead, are you the one that has come to save LYOKO forever?"

As she was about to speak, the world shook as violently as a thousand earthquakes. A red cloud, larger than the white one, swept in like a vicious storm over tormented waters. The girl didn't scream, but she looked terrified. "Save yourself!" she whispered to him.

As he ran out of the sector's inner core, he noticed that the girl was just standing there, watching the blocks around her shatter and crumble to the floor. _Her world shatters, yet she is brave_. He was amazed, but kept on running until he reached a portal, a tunnel that lead to another tower in another sector.

He looked back once more; the girl in the blue cloak was gone. He jumped in so he could finally find Jeremie.

* * *

When he emerged, he found himself choking on orange dust. Odd and Ulrich ran past him unknowingly. He dragged himself from behind the rock and called out to the runners. 

They stopped, turned, and saw Everett on his hands and knees, coughing dust and spitting every few moments. "Well, well," smiled Odd, "you seem to get into as much trouble as Aelita. I should start calling _you_ 'Princess.'" Everett smiled and closed his eyes.

* * *

When he opened them again, he was in the mountain sector. He was also on his back, looking up at a sky of Yuri, Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita's heads. They too were joking about how much trouble he got into, but it was unanimously decided that sometimes Everett did it to himself. 

As Everett was helped to his feet, he had to ask, "Why did Jeremie call you to LYOKO- again?"

"Good question, Everett!" yelled Odd, so Jeremie would get the hint. "I wonder why myself!"

The sky growled. "I'm telling you, there's something strange happening. Or maybe it's going to happen. Or maybe it's…"

"Or maybe you're crazy," Odd shouted back. "Something strange always happens- here, Earth, to us… you aren't used to it by now?"

"Shut up, Odd…" warned Ulrich as he jabbed his friend in the side.

But Odd refused to be silent. "Why can't you just- monster!"

Aelita speculated, "Wait a minute, that's not even a verb…"

"No! Monster!" he pointed as he shot at an ominous-looking tarantula that came from what appeared to be nowhere. Yumi flung her fans, and Everett tried to make a comet.

"Jeremie! What's with all the monsters? There's not a tower for miles!" yelled Ulrich.

"What are you talking about? There's a tower right by that tree!" The tarantula exploded, and all the friends looked to the largest tree, which also happened to be the nearest one.

"Um, no?" Yumi responded dumbfounded. All she saw was a tree, not a tower or anything similar.

"So is anyone going to go into it?" Jeremie hinted. "Aelita? Everett?"

Odd smiled. "Isn't that the wall? That's the wall, isn't it?"

Ulrich teased him, "Yes, that is the wall. The wall is that." Odd playfully punched him in the arm.

"Come on guys, let's go. Someone deactivate the tower, and let's get out of here," Yumi warned them. "I have a bad feeling that if we stay too long, something bad will happen to us."

"Oh, you and everybody else," quipped Odd. "Alright, someone go deactivate the tower… but XANA made it tricky so now you have to look for it. And if you don't find it, you die!" Ulrich laughed at Odd's joke, completing it with a "duh-duh-DUH."

Aelita gasped. "The key! We need the key to get to the tower!"

Everett smiled. "I think that's the smartest thing anyone's ever said all day."

Aelita nodded happily, but Jeremie wasn't at all on the same wavelength. "But until someone finds the key, we can't open the gateway-slash-wall-thing. And if we can't open it, then we can't deactivate the tower. Which means that XANA is planning something big… really big…"

"Really, really, really big?" joked Ulrich.

"That's a supersized, extra-large, humongous, gigantic problem, then, huh?" chuckled Odd, who got a high-five from Ulrich.

"Come on, this is serious. Who knows what XANA is up to? It could be the end of all humanity as we know it!" Aelita pleaded.

Odd rolled his eyes, "Not you too…"

"Holy cow! There's a manta over there! They don't live here…" pointed Everett excitedly.

The rest of the gang watched in amazement as a lone manta soared the sky just over a low mountain not too far off in the distance. "Should we catch it?" asked Yumi.

"No, because someone else is doing that…" Ulrich squinted his eyes and saw a lean figure in a blue gown of some kind. "…am I going crazy? First, I can't see this tower, and now I'm seeing OTHER people fighting monsters that don't belong in this sector?"

"I see her, too," Odd said slowly. Aelita murmured a "same."

The figure threw a long stick-like object at the manta. The manta dived down past the gang's vision, and the figure chased after it. "That's her… that's the girl I called up!"

"Wait- but I thought you said it didn't work because you accidentally called up an alive person?" Yumi questioned Everett.

"No, I mean… well, I called up someone from my vision and it worked! But I thought she died in the earthquake."

Odd shook his head. "I don't think I'll ever be able to understand him- _ever_."

Aelita tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "So we can ask her to help us fight off XANA?"

Yumi smiled, "That's great! And I bet there's more people like her. I can't wait to meet her."

Jeremie devirtualized them before they could have a chance to even think otherwise.

**Chapter Fifty-Four: Angel Eyes**

At breakfast the next morning, the gang was sleepy. Aelita rubbed her eyes between each bite of corn flakes. Yumi yawned before every slow sip of chocolate milk. Ulrich didn't loosen his death grip on his Styrofoam cup of coffee. Odd fell face-first into his bowl of froot loops.

Jeremie didn't admit that he was tired, though he looked plumb exhausted. "Good morning," he said stiffly. Something troubled him, Yumi noticed, but she dared not to ask. Instead, she grabbed Odd by the hair and repositioned his face to the table rather than his bowl of cereal.

Allie came soon after, arching her eyebrow at her strange brother. "I'm not going to ask."

"You shouldn't," Yumi growled under her breath. Ulrich looked up and nodded politely at Allie. Allie smiled at him as she sat down.

"So, you guys look like you went to watch the stars. I'm glad it was cloudy out last night."

Yumi eyed her evilly. "How would you know how it was last night?"

Allie's face didn't change expressions as she responded coolly, "Because I have a window in my dormitory. And I looked out of it. There were clouds." Yumi muttered something into her chocolate milk.

Jeremie looked at Allie, who quickly met his gaze. "Good morning, Jeremie," she said quietly. He smiled and continued to pick at his orange. "I, uh, heard about your problem."

He looked up slowly. "What problem?"

"About your… disease. My roommate told me."

"Who's your roommate?" asked Aelita conversationally.

"Sissi, who seems rather nice. Except for when I moved into her room. She doesn't seem to like it when I invade on her personal space."

Yumi coughed. "Not many people do like it when you invade their personal space."

Allie glared at her, ignoring that snide comment. "And we discussed many things."

"Let me guess: makeup, chemistry, and Ulrich?"

"Let me tell you, Aelita and Jeremie: Sissi isn't that bad, once you get to know her. I don't know why people don't like her. You shouldn't judge someone before you get to know them."

"Sissi is a terrible, rotten, Ulrich-stealing bitch."

"Of course, someone would say that Sissi is a terrible, rotten, Ulrich-stealing bitch. But they too are terrible, rotten, and bitchy."

"And don't forget self-righteous and conceited."

"Or maybe people who don't like her are jealous that Sissi is a pretty, smart, and witty girl who is also popular."

"Why would anyone like a girl that steals Ulrich?"

"Now, Jeremie, some people would say that no one likes a girl who steals boys. I know that Sissi is fond of Ulrich, and many others are too. But you have to remember, no one likes a girl that's too big of a sissy to say what she really feels to his face."

"I am not a sissy!" Yumi jumped up from the table. The cafeteria grew silent as Yumi, bleary-eyed and shaking, stood up next to Ulrich. "I am not too much of a sissy to say that I love him. It's him who's the sissy because he won't say that he feels the same way. And I know he does. So just- hands off!"

Allie stood up, too, facing Yumi with just as much aggression. "Would you fight for his love? Or would you just wait for him to pick me over you?"

"I knew it! I knew it!" Yumi shrieked. "That was your big secret, you little dumb bitch!"

Allie stormed towards the door. "Let's take this outside, prove to your love that you are weak. Let him know that I, Alana Della Robbia, will not take no for an answer!" Yumi followed, with the rest of the cafeteria behind her.

Odd blinked milk from his eyes. "Wait a minute, did my sister just insult Yumi in front of a large crowd?"

"I can't believe it!" Jeremie laughed as he got up to join the crowd. "Two chicks are fighting over you!"

Ulrich got up to follow him, finishing off the last of his coffee. "I know, right? Every guy's dream."

* * *

When Ulrich got outside, he managed to push his way to the front. Aelita reminded him that it would be best for all if the fight was stopped before it started. And who better than the trophy, right?

But the fight was in full swing, Yumi pulling at Allie's long hair. Allie swinging punch after punch at Yumi's ivory face. Yumi kicking Allie in the stomach. Allie spitting blood onto Yumi's shoes.

Sissi was across the circle from Ulrich. A chubby girl whispered into her ear and pointed at him. Sissi frowned at him dejectedly. He looked away, but as soon as he looked up, Sissi was right next to him.

"Let me guess, you're enjoying this?" she pointed at the fight. "Because I sure am not."

He shrugged. "Well, I don't feel like getting hurt today. I mean, I tried to stop it… or at least I wanted to."

Sissi harrumphed, and Ulrich continued. "Besides, they called me a sissy! Why should I help someone who insults me in front of everybody?"

At that moment, Allie stumbled backwards. People started to cheer Yumi's name, and Allie looked beat. Sissi narrowed her eyes and stomped into the middle of the circle.

Ulrich watched in amazement as Sissi cussed out Yumi, helped Allie get up, and punch Yumi in the stomach all within moments of each other. Yumi doubled over and landed hard on the ground- knees first. Sissi walked away with Allie in one arm and Herve on her other side. The crowd dispersed, no longer chanting the victor's name.

As she walked by Ulrich, he could her say, "You know, Herve, I really despise it when they use my name as an insult. An insult! Can you believe it?"

* * *

Ulrich walked over to Yumi's house after first period. He had to know how she was feeling. _After the fight_, he reminded himself, _not about him_.

He rang the doorbell, and a grim-faced Ms. Ishiyama opened the door. She led him to the living room and immediately left.

Yumi lay sprawled on the couch in not much more than a silk patterned bathrobe. She held her stomach with one hand and an ice pack on her forehead with the other. He approached her closer and she opened her eyes gently.

"Hey," he said softly, sitting on a small portion of the couch. "You don't look too bad after that."

She smiled and sat up slowly, and he noticed that both eyes were black and blue around the edges. "Thanks, I guess."

He rubbed his neck nervously. I hope she won't get the wrong impression. "You fight well."

"Even for a girl?" she asked snidely. "And I must say, Ulrich, you are a very good spectator- but you make for a lousy prince charming. I was hoping you would stop the fight."

"Me? But I thought… wait, you didn't want to fight her?"

She shook her head and put the icepack on her forehead once more. "I can't resist a challenge, you know that."

He grinned, glad to have the old Yumi back. "Well, I'm sure it's going to be pretty awkward when you come back to school."

She cast her eyes on the rug next to the couch. Ulrich thought she was about to say something, but nothing came out. A few minutes passed silently.

"So who do you like?"

"Hm?"

"Me? Or _her_?" she had loathing in her voice.

He responded by running out of her house, not shutting the door… not looking back… not facing his fear.

**Chapter Fifty-Five: The Key**

The next week, both Allie and Yumi were back in school. Yumi's black eyes had healed nicely, but Allie, who came back from her Aunt Clara's house in Paris, still had a prominent scar near her temple. Neither one mentioned each other's existence, and whenever possible, they avoided each other like the plague. And most of all, they didn't speak to Ulrich and they didn't speak about him.

Aelita and Odd met in Jeremie's room after classes that day. It was raining out, so Ulrich would be training at the gym. Yumi would most likely be at home, and Allie would be as far away as possible.

"Do you think that this is the end of our group as we know it, Jeremie?" asked Aelita. She tugged a strand of pink hair behind her petite ear while adjusting her position, sitting cross-legged on Jeremie's bed.

Jeremie, who sat comfortably in the chair, didn't respond. Odd shrugged from his lounging spot, leaning against the frame of Jeremie's bed.

Aelita sighed and looked out at the rain-driven sky. "If we can't work together, we can't get rid of XANA."

"I know," Odd agreed glumly. "I miss how close we were, back in the good old days."

Jeremie yawned as rain softly hit his window. "You know that gateway in the mountain sector? How it needs a key? Well, all we need to do is find the key to…" he trailed off.

"To bring us back together?" asked Odd eagerly. "To stop XANA?"

"Both. I have a gut feeling that the key is closer than we think," replied Jeremie thoughtfully. He twisted his chair around in a full circle before continuing. "But we don't have much time."

Aelita nodded. "My grandfather is rather old. We'll have to find the key before he passes on."

Odd added, "And we're all going to be graduating within a couple of years. So we'll need to get the key before then- obviously."

Aelita kept going, "We'll need to get the key before XANA kills us all."

"Armageddon," whispered Odd.

Jeremie sat on the edge of his chair, intently looking at Odd's suddenly pale face. "It's all making sense to me," he continued.

"What?" Jeremie mustered after a few baffled seconds.

Odd didn't look at him. "My sister, yeah, she told me that Armageddon was coming. She told me that something terrible was about to happen. She told me that she knows."

"About LYOKO?" cringed Aelita. _So many people knew_, she thought. _Why do so many people know? No one should know… no one should have to suffer like we do._

Odd nodded and a single tear ran down his cheek. "I'm going to lose her, aren't I?"

Aelita reached down from the bed and hugged him lightly. "Don't say that, please. We won't lose anyone."

Jeremie looked away from Aelita's embrace. "I wouldn't be so sure." The other two listened with heavy hearts as they learned about the status of their dear friend.

When he was finished, they sat rigid and sadly for another twenty minutes, not saying a word.

**Chapter Fifty-Six: Blood Brother**

"Okay, extend your arm," the blonde nurse replied softly. "Clench your fist really, really hard… that's good!" She ran her finger with a pink-painted nail over Yumi's arm.

"Is this going to hurt?" winced Yumi as she eyed the needle on the counter next to her. She was sitting in what appeared to be a school desk in a stark-white room somewhere in the hospital.

The nurse tied a tight rubber strip around Yumi's upper arm. "Keep squeezing, okay? And no, it doesn't hurt that bad. We're just seeing what your blood type is. It will all be over soon."

"What do you mean, 'that bad'? Does it hurt? Tell me!" Yumi demanded. She was fearless in mostly anything, but she had no idea what a blood test involved.

The nurse didn't answer and rubbed alcohol on Yumi's forearm. It felt cool to the touch. Yumi closed her eyes to calm herself down. Relax, and it won't hurt a bit, she told herself.

Something pinched her, at least she thought it did, but it didn't faze her. "Are you going to stick me or what?" Yumi asked angrily through closed eyes.

The nurse laughed, and Yumi opened her eyes to see the needle and tube which was filling with crimson blood. "Oh," Yumi muttered sheepishly.

Five minutes and a bandage later, Yumi jumped out of the seat to join her friends in the waiting room. She was the final one to be tested.

"Man, that was nerve-racking," she slammed herself down onto a lounge chair next to Odd.

"Yeah, but I fainted, so I'm not really sure if it hurt or not," Odd added, clearly embarrassed.

The gang of friends was quite the bunch, comparing the colors of their bandages while making fun of the strange assortment of magazines on the end table next to Allie. Jeremie and Ulrich were watching a trivia show; Jeremie answered the intelligent questions first while Ulrich responded eagerly to the pop culture questions.

Time flew by, and finally Dr. Hopper motioned for the teenagers to follow him. The chatterboxes lined up single-file and passed by the confused older patients who were waiting for the results of their blood work.

All six teenagers piled into the small office and Dr. Hopper shut the white door softly behind them. Distractedly, he opened the manila folder and dumped out a small stack of yellow papers on his desk. He sat down behind it and rubbed his gray temples as if he were experiencing some sort of headache.

The teenagers grew silent and waited for Dr. Hopper to talk. "As you probably are aware," he began in his strangely powerful voice, "you six were asked to have a blood test. This determines what type of blood you can receive as well as give.

"Also, your friend and my patient, Jeremie," he nodded at the glum, blonde, and pale boy who stood on the far left, "was diagnosed with a fatal kidney disease. He has to get a new kidney soon, or he will die.

"Why you? You are the ones he chose that would be willing to donate a kidney to him. He said that any of you would do anything for him. And he hopes you will.

"I know nothing of these results, but if one of you is indeed compatible, the risks of infection and disease are high in young people as yourself. I will not be doing the transplant; I will send you to a specialist. And the charge will be completely out of my own pocket."

The teens looked nervously at each other. Odd was taking deep breaths, Allie was trying to comfort her brother, and Aelita was digging her toe into the ground. Yumi noticed that Ulrich and Jeremie were the only ones who were stone faced.

"Let's see the results, shall we? Jeremie, your blood type is AB, which is pretty rare. We have to see which one of you is also AB, alright?

"Yumi Ishiyama…" Yumi inhaled louder than she anticipated, yet all eyes were focused on her. What would she do if she was the only one? "… incompatible."

She breathed a sigh of relief, but Jeremie eyed her evilly. "Ulrich Stern…" Dr. Hopper continued as Ulrich stood rigid and stone-faced behind Jeremie's shoulder. "… incompatible."

"Aelita Hopper… incompatible." Aelita looked as if she were about to cry. Yumi wondered why, but she was too focused on Dr. Hopper's voice.

"Odd Della Robbia… incompatible." Odd looked nervous; _heck, we all are nervous_, thought Yumi. _No one was compatible with Jeremie, and we would lose Jeremie forever._

Dr. Hopper cleared his throat. "And Alana Della Robbia… compatible." Allie hugged Jeremie tightly as the rest of the teenagers silently cheered from where they stood.

And suddenly, Yumi didn't hate Allie anymore.

* * *

Sorry about the wait, guys... the next one will be up quicker. Thanks for your patience! Happy Reading! 


	7. Dawn

**In Our Darkest Hour: Part 6: Dawn**

_Dedicated to my readers _

**Chapter Fifty-Seven: Changing**

_"It's been a nerve-racking past several hours. Dr. Shapiro reassured us yesterday that the transplant went smoothly; now we must wait for both to heal._

_"I've been holding out okay, but I'm very nervous for Odd. I care about him so much that I'm worried. The poor guy hasn't been the same since his sister went in for the operation. I miss the old Odd…_

_"Yumi is doing much better, and she told me the other day that she doesn't hate Allie anymore- even after she said those hurtful things at breakfast two weeks ago. She hopes that Allie will pull out okay; in fact, she hopes so much that she's starting to believe it. But Odd is still convinced that it's his sister that is destined to die for our cause._

_"Which leads me to wonder: does Allie know about LYOKO? It's like the story of Abraham and Isaac. Isaac didn't know that he was going to be sacrificed by Abraham, his father. All he knew was that he was going to make a sacrifice- which one? He didn't know. Thankfully, Isaac was saved. But if Allie is going to die, I think we should tell her that because while she's saving Jeremie, she's saving LYOKO._

_"Anyway, Ulrich feels lonely without Allie, which is irritating Yumi to no end. Yumi wants him all for herself. Sigh… if only there were two Ulrich's. Then everyone would be happy._

_"But we won't be happy until we're all back together: laughing, crying, and saving the world together. At least, I won't be. And I fear that it will be a long time before we're back together._

_"And if this Armageddon thing is true, like Odd says it is, then I pray for salvation. And if there is a God, let us go in peace. Let us go together in peace. Let us die at the same time so we don't have to suffer. Let us rise together so we can be friends again. Amen."_

**Chapter Fifty-Eight: Reconciliation**

Yumi quietly entered Allie's private hospital room. The room was dark and bare, the window blinds were shut tightly, and even at high noon, the hour seemed to always be midnight.

Allie was sitting up in bed, her eyes closed peacefully. She was as limp as a marionette without a puppeteer, and she had so many monitors attached that her body could be playing a symphony. When Yumi approached the bed, Allie's eyes flashed open.

"Yumi!" she gasped. "What are you doing here?"

Yumi shuffled her feet. "I came to see how you were. The doctor said everything went smoothly."

"Right, but you know that that news is probably jinxing this whole operation. I haven't been feeling well for the past few days."

"Have you told anyone? I mean, the nurses are here to help you after all."

Allie shook her head. "I don't want help. I'm too strong to get help."

"No, that's called being stubborn," Yumi frowned. "And I want you to get out of here as soon as you can."

Allie arched her eyebrows. "_You?_ You want me back after all that happened?"

Yumi shrugged. "Well, any friend of Odd's is a friend of mine. From here on out, no hard feelings, okay?" She reached out a firm hand.

Allie shook it limply. "Alright, but if I ever make it out of here, I have the right to ask Ulrich if he'll be my one and only."

Yumi didn't respond; she ran her fingers through her black hair instead. The clock ticked ever louder. Allie sighed. "Look, all I'm asking for is a chance, okay? I just… I just want to belong. To tell you the truth, I want to go back to Paik Island. I'm miserable here."

"Oh," Yumi blushed, hoping that Allie wouldn't see in the darkness of the room. "I'm sorry."

"But if I don't ever make it back, could you send my family a letter? I mean, I'm sure they would appreciate it if…"

"Don't worry about it; it won't happen." A moment's pause. "I meant, you dying. It won't happen."

A slow minute ticked by. "Well, I want to go see Jeremie before visiting hours are up," Yumi murmured. "It was nice seeing you, Allie."

"Same. Oh, and if we don't see each other again, for whatever reason, make sure you say hello to Everett for me. He'll probably be in the blue sector."

Yumi pretended not to hear her as she bolted out the door and ran to Jeremie's room two hallways down.

* * *

"Jeremie! Jeremie!" she yelled as she skidded on the slippery linoleum. A nurse hushed her, and Yumi whispered her apologies. 

Jeremie's room was bright, but Jeremie wasn't awake. He was incredibly pale, save for his blood-red lips and the dark shadows of the IV poles casting over his rigid body. _Like before_, she thought darkly, _when we found him in his room because he committed suicide- or did he?_

Slowly his eyelids flickered. "Wha-?" He was clearly disoriented, but she couldn't wait any longer.

"Jeremie, Allie just told me that she knows about LYOKO!" she whispered excitedly. "Can you believe it?"

Jeremie furrowed his eyebrows and stared at the ceiling. He was silent.

"Jeremie?" Yumi was getting worried.

"How many people know?"

"Know what?"

"About LYOKO," he said flatly, the words spitting from his lips. He squinted angrily and turned his head towards Yumi. He was quite handsome without his glasses on, she noticed, ashamed that the thought even crossed her mind.

She gulped. "Do you know how many people know?"

"Too many." He closed his eyes dejectedly and sighed. "Look, it's bad because we don't know who knows. But if we have enough people on our side, XANA can be defeated."

She shook her head. "I've got to go; I'll talk to you later."

"Later," he murmured angrily as he fell asleep.

**Chapter Fifty-Nine: Cosmos**

"Your time is drawing to a close, XANA," Franz Hopper said slyly as the white cloud descended into sector-5.

"You and your foolish intuition," the red cloud rumbled menacingly. "At least I don't depend on the fate of Earthlings to determine yours."

"Au contraire, mon ami," Franz chuckled. "If they both survive, then I will still have both to fight against you in the final battle."

XANA tried to hide his nervousness. "And if they don't?"

"I count on at least one to survive. Surely society has advanced to a point that they both have a fair chance of living."

"So there are still odds against them?" When Franz replied with the affirmative, XANA let out a victorious holler. "With both of them gone, I can easily defeat you in the coming battle."

Franz sighed, but it was a happy one. "Call me foolish again, but my intuition says that everything will come out favorably."

XANA replied in a mocking tone, "I sure hope so, dear Franz. For the sake of LYOKO, I hope so."

**Chapter Sixty: Phone Calls**

"Hello?" Odd picked up wearily. The day had been a long one; he had been worrying about his sister for an incredibly long time now.

"Is this the cellular number of Odd Della Robbia?" replied a voice in a thick accent.

Odd gulped. "This is he, me… I'm Odd. Can I help you?" Was this the call I've been dreading for? He thought miserably.

"This is the nurse of Alana Della Robbia. You were her first contact on her list, and I understand you are her brother."

"Oh no…" he could only think of the worst.

"I need you to come to the hospital straight away." Odd hung up the cell phone and paused in his steps.

The world around him slowed down to a crawl. _Why must the world be so cruel? Why did fate have to take Allie and leave him instead?_

* * *

Ulrich was in chemistry class taking notes when his mobile phone vibrated vigorously. The teacher paused a moment, thinking she heard an alarm, but resumed with the lecture.

After receiving permission to use the restroom, Ulrich answered the phone. "Lo?"

"Ulrich! Thank God you've answered!"

"Aelita? What are you doing out of class?"

She paused a moment. "I was going to check on Odd, because he wasn't in my last hour class."

"Yeah, he's not in my class right now either. I just figured he was stressed out."

"Me too! Anyway, I went to check on him in your guys' dorm. He was gone. And he wasn't at the principal's office. Or the infirmary."

Ulrich sighed. "Are you sure he's not at his aunt's house?"

"Um, I haven't checked."

"Or the hospital?"

"Nope."

"Have you called him on his mobile, Aelita?" he asked, his voice verging on the end of impatience. He leaned nonchalantly on a locker as Aelita muttered, embarrassed. "Look, I'll call him and I'll let you know what's up, okay? In the meantime, relax and go occupy yourself with something other than stalking your boyfriend."

Ulrich heard Aelita growl as he ended the conversation with a push of a button.

**Chapter Sixty-One: The Plunge**

"Oh, hi guys," said a glum Odd as Ulrich, Yumi, and Aelita appeared in the doorway.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Yumi questioned as she bravely stepped into the dimly-lit room.

Ulrich approached Allie first. He gazed over her with his hands stuffed in his pockets. She looked as if she were a wax mold of herself, not alive, but still real nonetheless. He remembered her so full of life and now she was reduced to nothing. She came into his life and was such a big part of it. "She's- dying, isn't she?" Ulrich said quietly as a single tear rolled down his cheek.

He turned to see Odd, paler than usual, look away from his sister. "She slipped into a coma this morning. The doctors figure it's bleeding to the brain, but they know that she won't make it out of here alive."

"Don't say that," Yumi whispered shakily. "Please don't say that."

Aelita wrapped her arms over Odd. His body began to tremble and he sobbed loudly. Ulrich met Yumi's eyes; he knew that they both felt hopeless.

"So now what?" he asked flatly.

Odd shook his head as he whispered. "She's on life support. She wouldn't want it anyway."

Aelita buried her head into Odd's purple shoulder. Yumi focused on Allie instead. "You're going to pull the plug? _Why?_"

Odd let out an even louder sob. "I can't do it!" he cried. Aelita shook her head, followed by Yumi's bewildered look.

"Do the doctors know that you're going to do this?"

"No, but it's the only way I can make sure she leaves this place happy. She wouldn't want… want… want it anyway."

Ulrich stepped closer to Allie and gently placed his hand on her blonde head. He was watching someone who was close to his heart die; his mother was dying all over again; his heart was shattering all over again. "I'll do it."

Odd's sobs stopped and everyone looked at him puzzled and aghast. "I said I'll do it."

"Why you? Why not Odd?" retorted a bitter Yumi.

"He's not going to do it, and besides, it's personal."

Aelita's jaw dropped. "You're doing this for revenge? She didn't do anything to you! You loved her!"  
"Correction," he smiled sadly. "I do love her. And for that I must do this." His smiled faded as he walked to Odd and placed his hand on Odd's other shoulder. "I know you love her too, Odd. But if you let me do this, my soul may rest in peace." He leaned in farther and whispered in Odd's ear, "You have always been my best friend, and if you let me do this, I will never ask anything of you ever again."

Odd nodded and wiped the tears from his face. Ulrich turned slowly and trudged to the electrical outlet.

* * *

Two hallways down, a boy woke up for no reason. He didn't know why his heart felt troubled. He blinked and saw Allie's grimace turn into a soft smile. It was the smile he fell in love with.

And Allie's blue-green eyes flashed open, startling him. From behind her head, he could make out the tips of feathered wings. When he made the connections, he screamed as loud as he could, hoping his voice would call her back down to Earth.

Ulrich walked in the middle, putting his arms around a shocked Yumi and a sad Aelita. He was stone-faced, but he felt at peace. He didn't want to be there when she died. He looked up to the ceiling, believing fully that his mother was smiling down at him.

Odd gratefully watched them leave. Allie's breathing became harder and harder. He walked to her side and sat down on the bed. He made himself comfortable and found the best position was to lie on the stiff white bed. He curled up next to her and draped his left arm over her chest.

He fell asleep soon afterwards, knowing that she was to without sadness and without pain. In his dream he saw her on a ship, her white dress standing out in the black of night. The stars behind her looked so magnificent and gorgeous. Allie smiled genuinely for the first time since she came to France.

She waved, and he waved back. He looked down and saw he was in brown cutoffs and a loose white shirt. Standing barefoot on the sand, he watched with tears in his eyes as the ship floated towards the heavens.

He sang a song that he knew once before, realizing the tune came from a lullaby that their mother used to sing to them when they were little children.

**We might be worlds away**

**We might be seas apart**

**But it comforts me inside**

**To know we can see the same stars**

**I wish we could be together**

**Far apart? No, never**

**My heart belongs to you somewhere**

**For now and now forever**

**We're separated by heaven**

**You're my angel near and far**

**But it comforts me inside**

**To know we can see the same stars**

He whispered, "Allie…" and he felt her chest rise and never fall.

**Chapter Sixty-Two: Finally**

_"Dear Mother and Father,_

_It's been a long time since I last wrote to you, but I heard that Aunt Clara has been keeping you both updated. How are you both? How is Grandfather? How are Aunt Rikka and Aunt Adima? How are Francesca, Serena, and Sunny doing? As for me, I'm doing… alright, but there's something you should know. _

_As you know a couple of weeks ago, at the beginning of the semester, Allie came to live at Kadic High School. She wasn't well liked, I admit, but my best friends took a liking to her (except for Yumi, but that changed after time). Anyway, it was strange seeing Allie after all these years. She's changed so much._

_And now, she has done what both of you hoped to see out of us- she was courageous in the face of danger, she was dedicated to her friend and cause. She sacrificed herself so others less fortunate than here could live. She did the unthinkable, something I could never do._

_My friend Jeremie was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease. Allie, of all people, was found compatible. She came thousands of miles to give her kidney to someone who needed it._

_We all thought she would make it, but she succumbed to bleeding of the brain. I was there when she took her final breath. I watched over her body as her soul rose to heaven. I did all I could, but I'm a coward, so I couldn't do much except cry._

_Aunt Clara decided to send her back home. We are having a memorial at our school next week. I also wrote down the information for her tombstone._

**Alana April Della Robbia, born April 25, 19--. Died February 20, 20--. Aged 16 years. **

_It pains me to write this, and I'm so sorry you have to read this. I pray for everyone back at the island, and I hope things get much better._

_Goodbye Allie._

_Much Love,_

_Todd "Odd" Shadow Della Robbia."_

**Chapter Sixty-Three: To Win the War**

"Yes! I win!" XANA cheered as he came into view in sector-5. Franz sighed.

"No, I win. Jeremie lives. And I need Jeremie to win this war."

XANA took on an innocent tone. "Oh? And not Allie?"

"Alana is not dead. On Earth she is gone, but you, again, are stupid, XANA. Alana is mine!"

XANA was at a loss for words. So, Franz continued. "It is clearly known that anyone who dies for LYOKO shall become under my power. And it says in the scroll of Seaton that she is to be the future guardian of LYOKO."

XANA left angrily as Franz chuckled lightly to himself.

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's kind of short, loyal readers. One more part to go before book 2 is complete! Thanks for reading! 


	8. A New Day

**In Our Darkest Hour: Part 7: A New Day**

**Chapter Sixty-Four: Aelita**

It was a month after Allie had died.

For Aelita there was hardly a gap in her life. After all, so many people had gone in her life in such a short time. Death was nothing new to her, she thought darkly. No need to fear death.

Still, Aelita felt badly; she didn't try to befriend Allie. _Would it have made a difference?_ Aelita pondered in her dormitory. Befriending Therese hadn't, she noted as she looked over at the sill-empty bed in her room.

Aelita closed her eyes in hopes of falling asleep. Nobody could fall asleep these days, Aelita thought. We all feel bad about her death.

But there was something else on Aelita's mind. Wasn't it Allie that predicted Armageddon? Didn't she tell us to prepare for the worst?

Aelita shook the thoughts from her mind and thought about her grandfather. And the key he gave her. And the gateway. And Jeremie. And Odd.

And then she drifted off to sleep.

**Chapter Sixty-Five: Odd**

Odd hadn't slept in over a month. Ever since Allie came and went, his life had been one big puzzle.

Their father was a firm believer in God's plan, he remembered. "God's intent is never known," his father always reminded his parish, "but rest assured that God always does things for the plan."

So Odd stared at the ceiling and thought of the plan. God took away Allie, and He left us with XANA to fight. The only thing that assured Odd was that Allie went to heaven, a paradise without sadness or pain.

Odd sighed and a single tear rolled down his cheek. He didn't wipe it away. He didn't care if Ulrich heard him crying. He didn't care if XANA won. He didn't care anymore. Everything he ever cared about was taken away.

She was taken away for God's plan.

He hoped that the plan was a good one.

**Chapter Sixty-Six: Ulrich**

Ulrich heard Odd crying.

He woke from his dream, and saw that Odd's eyes were open as well. Quickly, Ulrich flipped over under his covers and faced the wall.

There were few things that pained his heart. Ulrich didn't realize that Odd's sobs would be one of them until he heard Odd cry. He knew it was hard to lose your family; he too felt alone and guilty and angry. But, with time, Ulrich knew that Odd's grief would pass.

Ulrich wanted to console him, but he figured it would be too weird. Instead, he lay in bed and thought about Allie. But with flashbacks of her beautiful face and body, he was ready to cry himself.

He wished that he had someone to hold, mostly because Allie wasn't there to be held.

Maybe Yumi would have to do after all…

**Chapter Sixty-Seven: Yumi**

Yumi wasn't sad- she was afraid. She made mistakes, yes, but the mistakes were corrected. People that she hardly knew were dying, and maybe she was next. All of this was true, but nothing scared her more than the future. Would it really end up in a worldly disaster?

And would she be responsible for it all?

The thought was too agonizing, so she tried to sleep. But every time she closed her eyes, she would remember what she was running from- and that would wake her up once again.

After about fifty cycles of this kind of sleepless slumber, Yumi decided the best way to not feel afraid was to face her fears. Within moments, she was dressed and sneaking out her front door into the dead of night.

**Chapter Sixty-Eight: Jeremie**

Meanwhile, Jeremy sat wide-awake at his computer. It was a lonely dark green screen where occasionally a forlorn tower vision whisked by. The scanner seemed awfully slow at two o'clock in the morning.

He had to be thankful instead of angry. He could only sit in boredom because Allie willed it. Allie, who gave up everything so he could be alive for a few more years, was his martyred hero, and he wanted to say, "Thanks." That was it, "Thanks."

Jeremie scanned the screen for any sign of EVE-10, informally known as Everett. To his surprise, Everett found him instead.

"Jeremie, it is me, Everett," the voice said musically.

"Hello, Everett," replied the eager Jeremie. Even if he was a robot, Everett was a good companion.

"You'll never guess what I found," teased Everett in the same manner as Odd.

Jeremie laughed quietly. "I probably won't be able to. Spill the beans. Is it the key to unlocking the invisible portal?"

"No, but I found someone else here. When I was studying my books, I looked up, and I saw the future guardian! Isn't that exciting?" Everett's golden eyes flashed.

"Impossible, Everett. You are the guardian forever and ever because Aelita is a human now."

Everett's face fell into a calm smile. "Well, other than that, someone else came across on my screens. Did you see her?"

Jeremie became skeptical. "No, but I would've seen her… well, maybe I missed her while I was in the restroom."

"The girl is the one who comes and goes, the human one, with the fans and little shoes…" listed Everett.

Jeremie gasped, "That's Yumi! But what's Yumi doing in LYOKO?"

Everett shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it was XANA's polymorphic clone."

The boy at the computer rubbed his temples. "I can't call Yumi now, but I'll wait until the morning. In the meantime keep a sharp eye out for anything strange."

Everett frowned. "I don't have sharp eyes, Jeremie."

"It's a figure of speech, Everett." At that exact moment, Jeremie's notebook dropped to the ground. It fell next to a small calendar that also happened to be on Jeremie's desk at one point during the day. The date read March 21, the date of the spring equinox. Jeremie exclaimed in surprise, "Everett!"

"Yes, Jeremie!"

"Happy birthday!"

Everett was confused. "What is a birthday?"

"The day on which you were brought into the world… yours was two years ago today."

"I missed it!" Everett responded dejectedly. Jeremie explained that a person's birthday was celebrated once a year to make the celebrator feel special and look forward to the coming year.

"What's your birthday wish? You get to make a wish every year," Jeremie responded gleefully.

"_Me_? Well my wish is to be human, just like you, Jeremie."

Jeremie's delayed response was due to shock.

**Chapter Sixty-Nine: Sector-5**

Yumi lay wide awake in the middle of sector-5. The room shifted every three minutes like it was supposed to, but the fast-moving walls never touched a single inch of her sprawled body. She was waiting for the apocalypse, the one that Allie had predicted months before.

_Come on, you stupid apocalypse_, she taunted mentally. She was in her fighting mode, ready to slash the throat of any monster and whip her metal fans around in deathly defense. Nothing could escape alive when she was in her game.

Maybe, she thought, if she was responsible for everything else then she was going to be responsible for the end of the world and the end of LYOKO. Maybe she was being foolish and there was no end of the world. Maybe she was in the wrong sector. Maybe she was going to be in over her head after all was said and done.

But there was no turning back. She was going to die trying to save her friends- what was left of them. And what was the point of living when everything was dying? There was nothing left for her to appreciate in life.

There was not a single ounce of hope left.

**Chapter Seventy: In LYOKO**

On the back of a tamed manta ray, an unfamiliar creature waved her long spear at the sky. She was free from the torment that pulled her back and forth from Earth and here. She was free from pain and loneliness; now she had freedom to roam with the wild beasts.

She landed her manta ray in a quiet, secluded area of the forest. She left him there to sleep and regain energy for the next flight. She adjusted her brown cape so it covered her brown skirt and white blouse most of the way. After readjusting her spear, she uncovered her hood to reveal a blonde head of hair and blue-green eyes that shimmered in the sunlight.

She smiled at the trail that disappeared into a darker area of the forest. She smiled at the sun and she smiled at her manta ray. She smiled because she hadn't been happy in a very long time.

Her name was Alana, the once and future guardian of LYOKO, and she was finally free.

* * *

_-This marks the end of Book 2 of Legacy of Lyoko.-  
_

* * *

_  
Please stay tuned for Book 3 of Legacy of Lyoko, the final book in the trilogy,_

_Chariots of Fire. _

_Thanks for reading!_

_S.JoAnn.C. _


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